Twist of Fate
by xSteleAliniax
Summary: Lucy is the Queen of the Fairy Tail vampire coven—the strongest most feared coven among vampire kind. However, there is another coven that is trying to take their place and rule over Fiore. Natsu is a human prisoner of this coven and detests vampires. What twist of fate brings these two together, and will they be able to look past their differences and form a relationship?
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hellloooo, my fanfiction friends! At last, I have a new chapter story for you! This one is more dark and twisty than my other stories, but I think you'll really like this one. I have been wanting to start posting this story for awhile now, and FINALLY, it's ready for your viewing pleasure. I am 30 chapters in, with the next two already in-progress, plus the whole thing is already mapped out, so don't worry about me flaking on you as I have with FTH in the past. Also, this is just the prologue, an introduction of sorts, which is why it is hella short. So stick around and see where this ride takes you, I don't think you'll be disappointed!**

* * *

 **Title** : _Twist of Fate_

 **Summary** : _Lucy is the Queen of the Fairy Tail vampire coven—the strongest most feared coven among vampire kind. However, there is another coven that is trying to take their place and rule over Fiore. Natsu is a human prisoner of this coven and detests vampires. What twist of fate brings these two together, and will they be able to look past their differences and form a relationship?_

 **Genre** : _Romance/Fantasy AU_

 **Rating:** _M—For language, suggestive content, and future lemons._

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Prologue: Her Crown, His Life, Their Fate**

A young woman stood in front of a full-length mirror, taking in her elaborately made-up appearance. She wore a glittering black gown that fell around her calves and towering silver heels with emerald green jewels, dotting the straps that wrapped around her calves. A long-sleeved robe of royal purple that touched her ankles with silver thread around the trim completed the ensemble.

Her golden hair fell in waves down to her mid-back and a small silver tiara with emerald jewels placed throughout sat atop her head. Her eyes were a chocolate brown but they were rimmed in dark red, and gleamed back at her through the mirror.

She sighed heavily at her reflection. It wasn't that she didn't like her appearance, quite the contrary, she rather appreciated the way the bust of her gown made her breasts appear larger than normal—not that she needed the help. No, it wasn't the way she looked that had her sighing in dismay—it was the reason she had been so done-up.

"Time to go, Lucy."

Lucy turned toward the voice, fighting back the tears in her eyes. Makarov stood there, dressed in a black suit, a solemn look set on his face.

"Do not fear, child," he told her, voice reassuring. "You'll do great."

She nodded, and tried for some semblance of a smile. It must have fallen short, though, because Makarov's eyes fell slightly.

"You're going to make an excellent Queen, Lucy, just as your mother was." He patted her arm and this time she managed a smile.

"Thank you," she said, brushing tears from her eyes. "I hope I am half the Queen she is—was."

"Let us not dwell on the past," Makarov suggested. "Today is a celebration! Let's be happy!" He quirked her a goofy smile, which made her giggle.

"Alright, let's do this."

…

"All rise as Council member Makarov places the crown!"

The vampires all rose as one, as the small man stepped forward, carrying a velvet pillow with a brilliant, golden crown sitting atop it. Fiery red rubies and emerald green gems were placed throughout the intricate design.

Lucy took a knee before the man, and he placed the crown on her head.

"Do whatever you think is right. That is the true way of a Fairy Tail Queen," he intoned. "And if you really want to change the world, you must do so with your own hands. Take care of your coven, and be the Queen we all know you're meant to be."

Lucy blinked back tears as she stood up straight, facing her coven.

"All hail Lucy Heartfilia, Queen of Fairy Tail Coven!" Makarov called out, arms spread wide, then took a knee before her.

"All hail Lucy Heartfilia, Queen of Fairy Tail Coven!" came the collective reply, as all fell to their knees before her.

Her gaze scanned the crowd, taking in her family, the people she would now rule. She would now be responsible for their lives. It was a big job for such a young vampire, but if her mother believed in her, then she could too.

* * *

A boy of about sixteen walked with a purposeful stride as he made his way through the dark alleys. His destination: a small hut with a straw roof and a hammock for a bed, hidden deep within the woods where no human ever dared venture. He was safe there—relatively.

He held a small bundle under his left arm—half a loaf of bread, two fish, and some firewood. He raced through the trees expertly, having already memorized this route, even in the pitch darkness. He was grinning from ear-to-ear, more than pleased with his haul. He was anxious to get back to his friend and show him what he had gotten after his long day's work. Well, _work_ was a bit of an exaggeration, but he decided he wouldn't mention that.

He was nearing his hut when he smacked face-first into something solid and hard.

He _oofed_ and fell hard onto his back, cracking his head on a rock as he did. Stars danced in his eyes and his vision started to cloud over.

A blurry face appeared over his, but he couldn't make out any distinguishing features as the blackness swallowed him.

…

When he awoke, he was lying on a cold, hard floor, concrete if he had to guess, and covered in straw and dirt. The ceiling overhead was a dark concrete as well and had vines growing out of it, falling down a few feet and dripping with water. A drop plopped onto his forehead and he wiped it away before trying to sit up.

"Gah, my head hurts," he groaned, rubbing at the back of his head and feeling a huge bump there. "What happened?"

"Poor darling."

The boy froze at the sound of the feminine voice, feeling gooseflesh rise on his skin at the lilting tone.

He turned, slowly, toward the voice.

A woman with flowing black hair stood before him, wrapped in a skimpy blue dress that barely covered her backside and covered even less of her front. He averted his gaze and frowned at the room.

"Where am I?" he demanded, feigning bravery he didn't really feel.

"You are in a vampire prison, young boy," the woman replied, and when he turned back to her he saw a malicious smirk on her lips. He worked to keep the shock off of his face.

"V-Vampire?" he stammered, unable to keep his voice from wavering.

The woman's grin widened. "Yes, dear boy, and you are a tasty little treat." She licked her lips for emphasis.

"But-vampires don't exist!" he insisted, green eyes flicking around the room once more, this time looking for escape options. He saw only one way out, a small door right behind the vampire.

 _Vampire._

He swallowed hard and resisted the urge to shudder like a huge wimp.

The woman raised an eyebrow at him, then lunged forward. In a flash, he was pinned against the wall and her teeth were at his neck. He yelped like the huge wimp he was and tried to push her away, but she didn't so much as budge under his touch.

"Let me show you that we do, indeed, exist."

Her mouth pressed against his neck, and then sharp teeth grazed his skin. He shuddered, unable to hold back any longer. Her teeth—no, her _fangs—_ pierced his skin.

He cried out loudly as the most excruciating pain filled him, starting at his neck and traveling all the way down his body, lighting his blood on fire.

She drank from him until he felt faint and blackness began to swallow him once more, but before he fell into oblivion, he heard the woman whisper,

"Welcome to Sabertooth coven, Natsu Dragneel."

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 **A/N: Super short chapter, as I said earlier, but I still hope it was enough to entice you into reading more! Thank you all for reading this and please continue! Leave me some reviews to let me know your thoughts; your comments all mean so much to me and give me so much inspiration to keep writing. See you for my next update!**

— **Stele.**

 **PS: TOF will update every Monday from now on.**

 _Beta: Katie Dragneel._


	2. Chapter 1: Lucy

**A/N: Ugh, totally uploaded the wrong document, guys. Sorry about that! Same chapter, but this one has way more detail to it. Geez... Well anyway, here's the next chapter for you!**

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter One: Lucy**

 _Three Years Later..._

It was late; the sun had already started to make its way over the horizon above. I could smell it coming, smell the rays as they peeked over the mountains a mile above ground. It was a chilly morning, and I could just make out the smell of rain in the distance, but that wouldn't come for a few more hours.

For vampires, this was pretty late. Most of us would be in bed already, though late-night party-goers could occasionally be seen roaming about at this hour. For the most part, the halls were silent as I made my way through the endlessly long hallways, across the expansive underground home that was Fairy Tail coven. It was approximately a five-minute walk, two if you ran, but I wasn't in a hurry. They would wait for me, whether they wanted to or not. As Queen, that was one of my few advantages—you were technically never late.

Well, with some exceptions.

Once I'd finally made the long trek from my bedroom to the Council's chambers, I took a moment to compose myself. I closed my eyes and listened to the murmured voices coming from the other side of the door. They were getting antsy, waiting for me. The thought almost made me smile. It was _their_ fault, after all. I had been pulled from bed to attend this ridiculous meeting that would undoubtedly be a repeat of the same damn issue we'd been discussing for the past few weeks.

I opened my eyes heavenward and sighed before straightening my tiara and pushing into the room.

I nodded at the others as I passed, who had all gone silent as soon as they heard my sigh through the thick wooden door. I took my usual seat and waited for all hell to break lose, all the while fighting the sleep that clawed at my insides, threatening to pull me under in moments.

"Queen Lucy, thank you for joining us," Makarov said politely with a bob of his head.

I tried not to scowl.

"Can we get this thing over with now?" Laxus asked from my left, ever the impatient one.

"Of course," Makarov nodded at his grandson, then opened up a folder in front of him and began the meeting.

Two hours went by, and I yawned widely as I tried to tune into what my fellow Council members were saying—not that they seemed to care in the least that I was even there.

I sat at the head of the table, face resting in my palm as the others argued around me as if I wasn't even there. My presence at these meetings was often just for appearances, it seemed. They rarely asked for my input and even when I gave it they usually ignored me anyway. Unless I used my 'Queen voice,' then they were all forced to submit to my will, which was both awesome and unsettling. Just because I had that power, didn't mean I utilized it to my advantage. I only made others submit when it was absolutely necessary, but an annoying Council meeting was not one of those times.

"It's the way our coven has ruled since the beginning of time!" Laxus exclaimed from my left. He was shirtless and wearing only black joggers, meaning he was probably pulled out of bed as well. Lucky for him, though, he would be able to go back to sleep after this ridiculous meeting, whereas I would be forced to deal with the aftermath—I was sure there would be some sort of mess afterward.

"That does not mean it must stay that way," Erza, my right-hand man—or woman, rather—argued on my behalf. I almost smiled but tried to keep a regal air about me, despite the slumped position I was currently in. "It is an ancient law, anyway. Things change."

A few nods met her, others frowned, clearly unconvinced by that logic.

"I think this has gone on long enough." Laxus' tone was verging on a growl, and I rose a curious eyebrow at him, unamused by his attempt at dominance. He flinched under my gaze and shifted in his seat.

"It is not such a concerning issue, Laxus," Lilliana spoke up softly from beside him.

I glanced over at her, this petite girl with long, blonde waves and emerald eyes ringed in red. Her skin was pale, even for a vampire, almost translucent, and for some reason she never wore shoes. She actually reminded me a bit of our first coven Queen, Mavis. Same strange habit, same tactical abilities. She was an asset with battle strategies.

Laxus sighed but said no more. I held back a grin. Lilliana was the only person in this coven who could silence Laxus with a single thought. It was amusing, seeing as he was usually one I had to most look out for during these meetings. He was very… outspoken.

"He has a point," Jellal said from his seat next to Erza.

All eyes fell on him with mirrored expressions of shock. Jellal never disagreed with Erza. For a moment I thought that I must have misheard him—it was just too unbelievable!

"My apologies, my Queen," he added respectfully after a moment, bowing slightly from his seat and casting his eyes downward in a gesture of submission. "But, I must follow the way of the law, that is what has kept us in the place we are at today."

I opened my mouth to say something but no words came out. While I respected his candor and devotion to the law, I didn't appreciate another person trying to rip my title away from me.

This "issue" had been brought up in nearly every meeting for the last several weeks. I'd had to endure countless attacks on my ability as Queen, not to mention my young age. It was frustrating. These were the people who elected me in the first place! These were the ones who had vowed to stay by my side throughout my reign, offering up their very wills to me. Now, they were all going back on their word.

 _Bastards.._.

"She is just a child!" Laxus practically spat from beside me.

That was enough of that.

I growled, and in a flash I had him pinned against the wall, teeth at his neck, not piercing the skin but just tapping the flesh there.

He relaxed his body, letting his gaze fall to the floor.

"I apologize, my Queen," he said, repeating Jellal's words.

Because I was pissed as all hell, I let my teeth graze the skin, just enough to scratch the surface, not enough to do any real damage. Still, he hissed through his teeth as though I had struck him.

"Do not talk down to me like that again," I warned, in a steely tone that offered no room for arguments.

He gulped and nodded. "Yes, my Queen."

I let him go and stepped back, taking a moment to make sure my threat had gotten through his thick skull before taking my seat. This time, I sat up straight and tall and took on a Queenly air that I didn't often use with this group. But I had grown tired of their talking around me. There was only so much I could take, especially with what little sleep I'd been getting. I was starting to become irritable.

"Enough of this nonsensical talk," I said, speaking in the same steely tone I'd used on Laxus, who was now slumped in his chair at my left, looking utterly defeated. Lilliana patted his hand but kept her gaze lowered, as did the others at the table. They could _feel_ the unspoken threat in my words, and radiating off my very being as I glowered around the table at them.

One had to learn pretty quick when to put her foot down. It took me a while of simply sitting back and allowing my fellow Council members to bully me on issues before I'd finally flipped my lid.

I remember the day as if it were yesterday…

 _It has been a month since I was made Queen of Fairy Tail coven, a month since my mother died and left me all alone._

 _But I'm not alone, I have my whole coven with me. I have to remain strong, like my mother. I have to be the Queen that Fairy Tail deserves, the Queen that Mavis wanted for her legacy._

 _Currently, I am sitting in yet another Council meeting. Never did I imagine just how many hours I would spend cooped up in this small room with these same five people, day after endless day._

 _It's exhausting._

 _And boring._

 _I blow out an annoyed sigh as the others talk around me, as they always do at these meetings, discussing issues that I am supposed to either approve or deny, but not taking any opinions I give on any of the issues at hand. Am I really meant to attend these meetings just to tack on a signature to the end of their documents? Can't they send them to my room at the end of the day or something? What is the purpose of my presence?_

" _There's no reason to waste our time and money on such outlandish measures!" Laxus growls impatiently._

 _I resist the urge to roll my eyes at this statement, or the growl in his tone._

" _We need surveillance," I argue back, keeping my tone calm and even. "It's the best option for the coven at this time."_

Maybe if we'd had surveillance before my mother died…

 _I don't finish the thought, it's too much to even consider._

" _Surveillance could potentially prove to be an asset," Erza agrees with me, thoughtfully, considering my words and my opinion. She seems to be the only one who ever takes my thoughts into consideration at these things._

 _Laxus heaves an audible sigh. "Cameras and mics? What the hell for? To track the little bunny rabbits that trot around the forest at night?"_

" _To track enemy covens in the case of an attack," I reply curtly._

 _He isn't phased by my tone. "It's a waste of resources!" he says again, his voice gaining volume. "It's a fucking waste to put up a bunch of cameras when we have a border to keep enemy covens away."_

" _What is a border, really?" I muse. By this point, my patience is running thin. We have been arguing this issue back and forth for over an hour. "An invisible line put in place by the surrounding covens; a predetermined area in which a specific coven is allowed to mark as their territory."_

 _Blah fucking blah._

 _Laxus growls at me, and his eyes gleam in a way that suggests he may try and strike me._

Oh, hell no.

 _I bare my teeth in a snarl and lunge forward, tackling him from his chair so that he lands on the floor. My long, sharp nails dig into the sides of his neck so hard they draw blood._

 _His eyes roll to the back of his head and his expression falls slack for a moment before settling into a scowl._

 _I lean close to hiss into his ear. "Do_ not _fuck with me, Laxus Dreyar," I warn. "I am at my wits end with you. Do not forget who your Queen is."_

" _Y-Yes, my Queen. I submit."_

"This is not a pressing issue!" I continued, coming back to the present and thoroughly annoyed by this point. How many meetings were we going to discuss this same issue?

"But, Your Highness," Lilliana spoke up in a small voice, "it _is_ a matter of some importance."

I sighed heavily, letting my irritation show. "Perhaps," I relented, "but not at this point in time."

Honestly, they acted as if this were a life or death issue! It was the surveillance cameras all over again...

"Do you have any prospects in mind?" Erza asked from my right. I turned to her with a small frown. She wasn't asking to be cruel or demanding, as the others were, she most likely wanted to lend me her aid.

Problem was...

"Honestly? No." I shrugged and heard Laxus growl under his breath. I ignored that. "I understand why you're all so anxious, but have some patience, I implore you. This issue will be resolved in good time."

"While I hate to pick sides..." Makarov began slowly from the end of the table.

I looked over at him, trying to hide my surprise—he wasn't usually one to speak up during these meetings, and he had never chosen to go against me before, which was exactly what he was about to do.

His eyes were slightly downcast, but not quite in submission, I could still make out the greens of his eyes and the red ring that glinted off the fluorescent lights from above. His expression was one of guilt, and his fingers picked at his white shirt beneath the table. His scent told me that he was fighting hard against my control, to the point where he was nearly sweating, an almost impossible feat for a vampire.

I narrowed my gaze and waited for him to continue, deciding not to push my will on him just yet. Often it was a battle of whose will was stronger—his or mine. He was an extremely powerful vampire, even for a male. Perhaps as strong as a Queen herself.

"However, Laxus has a point," he finally went on and lifted his gaze just a fraction, still fighting against my control, which had always been pretty thin as it was. "The law dictates that you must take a mate in order to hold the throne. If you should fail to do so... then the throne and title of Queen, may be revoked."

"I know what the law book states," I snapped at him, and at my tone he finally he lowered his gaze in submission, "but I just need a little bit more time."

 _Please, just a little more time…_

"She is rather young," Erza offered up in my defense, once again. "Perhaps it would be fair to allow her a few more years—"

"It has been three years since she was crowned," Jellal interjected softly. Erza narrowed her gaze at him, lips pulled back in a silent snarl. He winced and lowered his gaze even more so that his chin rested against his chest.

I tried not to smirk. Erza was obviously the Claimer in that relationship.

"Well," Erza began slowly, "Laxus was right about one thing: she _is_ still a child. We can't expect someone so young to marry."

"But we _can_ expect her to rule over an entire coven?!" Laxus exclaimed in disbelief.

I bit my lip in an effort to hold back my frustration.

"Those were unusual circumstances," Makarov replied somberly. "Our beloved Queen, the late Layla Heartfilia, was taken from us before her time. Her daughter was the next up to take the throne. Law also states that if a Queen dies before her time, should she have a daughter, she would be the one to take over the coven. The law says nothing about what age she must be in order to rule."

"Maybe the law needs changing," Laxus grumbled.

With another growl, I had him pinned against the wall once more. My long, pointed nails dug painfully into his scalp at the back of his neck and rendered him completely immobile. He slumped to the floor at my feet.

He slumped to the floor at my feet.

I turned back to the table to see everyone else pointedly avoiding eye contact with me. Good, that meant they were paying attention.

Good, that meant they were paying attention.

"The law will remain as it has for millennia," I seethed, the red ringing my chocolate eyes gleaming with a fierceness I hadn't seen in myself for a while. This meeting was really taking it out of me. "I _will_ hold my crown, whether you approve of me or not because my mother prepared me for this very purpose, and I'll be damned if I let her down now!

"Also, I will find a mate and marry, but I'm not going to go find someone overnight, so _have some damn patience_!" I was practically screaming by the end of my spiel and the others visibly shook with fear. My tone held an authority that they could not fight against, it was one of the powers a Queen held.

"This meeting is finished. Get the hell out."

I waited for them to all shuffle out the door, then sat back down with a huff, dropping my head into my hands and letting the tears that had been threatening for this entire meeting finally fall from my eyes and drop onto the table in front of me.

Everything about this was just wrong, wrong, wrong. I was under immense pressure, more than I had ever thought possible. I knew my mother had had a hard job, but I never imaged just _how_ difficult it could be until I had to take it all on myself. It was a lot of responsibility for just one person, a lot of pressure and decision making and learning, so much learning. Three years later and I still had no much to figure out, every day it seemed I was gaining more and more information about this job, usually from some huge mistake I'd made in the process.

A soft knock sounded on the door a minute later, and a small voice called out. I ignored it, but after waiting another moment, the door squeaked open and then closed softly.

"Hello, Levy," I said without looking up. I'd recognized her scent the moment she stepped in front of the door.

"My Queen."

I heard the fabric of her gown shift as she bowed and rolled my eyes. I looked up to see her bowed so low her face nearly touched the tiled floor.

"Levy, we have been friends since we were born," I told her. "You know you don't have to call me by that title."

"But it is a sign of utmost respect," she replied.

I heaved a sigh. "Levy, eyes up."

At my words, she finally lifted her gaze to meet mine. When she did, her eyes, green rimmed in red, widened.

"Lu, why are you crying? You never cry,"

This time I was the one to lower my gaze. I bit my lip in thought, eyebrows furrowing.

"It's… this stupid law," I finally admitted, voice barely above a whisper.

Levy stayed standing, out of respect to the Council members chairs. Really, she wasn't even supposed to be in this room, but I was the goddammed Queen of this place so I could let whoever the hell I wanted inside.

"They want me to take a mate or lose my throne."

"What?!" Her voice came out in a hiss and her eyes bugged.

I nodded. "I guess I never told you about that law," I mused, resting my chin on my palm as I explained. "A Queen must take a mate in order to hold her throne, and the only reason why this issue hasn't been forced upon me up until recently is because I was still so young when I was crowned. The law is hazy around youthful monarch's, unfortunately. It doesn't say much about what happens when an underage Queen is crowned." I snorted at the total absurdity of that statement.

"They can't really expect you to just go out and find a mate, can they?" Levy asked. I shrugged. "That's absurd! You're still so young! No one marries at our age."

"That's the law," I said with another shrug. "And even as Queen, I cannot defy it."

I dropped my head onto the table, the frustration from this endlessly long day weighing heavily upon my shoulders.

"I'm so tired, Levy," I admitted in a near-silent whisper. I felt a hand brush mine and turned mine in order to clasp fingers with hers. A warmth spread through me, and for just a moment I thought that everything might be okay.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Levy whispered, giving my hand a squeeze. "I have no idea how hard this must be for you, but just know that I'm here for you, no matter what."

I lifted my face, fresh tears in my eyes, though this time they didn't come from a place of sadness. Her kind and encouraging smile filled me with warmth, and I felt a grin of my own lift up my lips.

"Thank you, Levy. You're the best."

"I know," she winked. "Now, how about we go and get us something to eat? I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

I laughed in spite of myself. "Levy, it's like four in the morning," I pointed out.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply for a moment. "Actually, it's four forty-five."

My eyes turned heavenward. "Because that's such a difference."

"Come on!" She tugged on my hand, forcing me to stand. "There's a new, sexy feeder downstairs." She grinned.

"Well, when you put it _that_ way..." I snorted a laugh, then followed her out the door.

…

The feeder was not someone I would call "sexy," but Levy nearly turned into a pile of mush the moment we stepped through the door.

"Ooh, that's him!" she squealed, pointing to where a guy a little older than us lay on a nearby couch, snoring away. He had jet black hair and metal piercings all over his face and exposed arms. He had an overall gruff look about him, which I found curious.

"He looks a little scary," I commented, watching the way his chest rose and fell as he slept.

 _Definitely not a vampire, then_ , I thought, eyeing him speculatively, _so why is he here…_

Levy giggled. "He acts all big and bad, but he's a total softy! I just know it!" Hearts danced in her eyes. I raised an eyebrow. "What? Look at him!" a gesture at the sleeping human. "He's so adorable! Like a little puppy dog!"

I sighed. "Levy, you can't keep him. He's a human, he doesn't belong here."

Her face fell at that and she looked so utterly anguished that for a moment I thought about reconsidering. But no, this was something that could not, under any circumstances, be overlooked. No humans were allowed in the coven walls. Lawfully, I should have beheaded her for even bringing him here, but I couldn't do that to my best friend. I didn't know how she'd gotten him in here without anyone noticing.

"I'm sorry, Levy," I told her, hoping she knew how much I meant those words. "You know we can't bring humans down here. He has to go. Take him to the surface and make sure you do a memory wipe. Don't leave any trace of this place, _or of you._ "

She flinched a little at the command in my voice, then nodded, lip clamped between her teeth.

"It is for the good of the coven." I squeezed her arm once more before turning from the room. Before I let the door close behind me, I called back to her over my shoulder. "Be discrete when you take him above, we can't have any of the other coven members finding out about this."

"Yes, Queen," she murmured, then bowed low before me. I gave a curt nod and then left her there. I could smell the tears that sat in her eyes and felt my heart ache for her.

 _I'm sorry, my friend_ , I thought sadly, _I only want to protect the coven._

* * *

 **A/N: Aright guys, what did you think of this first chapter? If you can't tell from this bit of information, TOF is a woman run society. The men are at the bottom of the totem pole in this fic, women are the rulers and the dictators. I really liked the idea of strong female characters, and thought it would be interesting to write a story in which Lucy was more of the dominate female since she's so often portrayed as being weak and under everyone else. In this, she is the Queen, so she is the biggest baddest thing out there. Good for you, Lucy! XD**

 **I MAY post chapter two tomorrow, to give you guys a taste of this story, but after that it will only upload every Monday. Let me know your thoughts and I'll see you for my next update!**

 **—Stele.**


	3. Chapter 2: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Two: Natsu**

 _Also Three Years Later…_

It was cold and damp, and I was pissed as hell.

I sneezed loudly, still fighting this damned cold that had taken hold of me for the last week or so. My arms were shackled to the wall behind me, directly under a hole in the ceiling that had a near-constant drip of water. I was sick more often than not thanks to the chill of the room, and the water dripping onto my face and soaking my clothing, which was thin and ragged as it was.

I swiped at another drop that had fallen onto my forehead and shifted to get away from the drops, which seemed to be coming down more frequently than normal these last few days.

Glancing down, I counted the scars that trailed down my bare chest and stomach. My shirt had been torn from my body the day I'd been taken here, which seemed like forever ago, and I was never given a new one. The scars came from the constant lashings I was given by the bloodsucking freaks that held me captive. The men liked to hit, the women liked to bite.

I shuddered, and then was hit by another fierce coughing fit that left me nearly breathless by the end of it. My chest ached from the endless days of coughing and wheezing, and my body felt weak from exhaustion.

I slumped against the wall, hard rocks digging into my bare back, water dripping onto my stomach and sliding into my too small pants-turned-shorts. I swiped a hand through my hair, which was gritty and caked with dirt and blood. My fingers got caught in the tangles there, making me wince.

"Poor baby."

I flinched at the voice but managed to keep my expression neutral as I turned my gaze on the speaker—a raven-haired demon with red-rimmed eyes and black claw-like nails.

"How unfortunate for you to be chained under the only leak in this entire establishment." She shook her head in mock pity. "You must be terribly put-out."

I snorted but otherwise made no comment.

"What a shame," she continued, circling around the place where I sat, "that your body hasn't accepted its fate yet and just died."

I paled at that. What the hell did she mean by that?!

A sinister grin crossed her face, as though she'd heard my thoughts. For all I know, she had. I knew little of what vampires were capable of, besides the obvious blood-drinking, insane speed, and exceptional hearing.

"You smell anxious," she commented with a delighted smirk.

 _Right, and then the crazy sense of smell…_

"You poor dear."

I opened my mouth to say something, but before I got the chance she lunged for me and had me pinned against the wall, knocking my head against it. I saw stars for a moment, my vision going hazy from the hit.

"I could make it all go away…" she purred, lips brushing against my neck.

I cringed, trying to pull away from her.

 _Don't enrage the demon,_ I advised myself. _Do not provoke her._

"I don't know what you're talking about," I managed to get out, remarkably without my voice wavering.

"Don't you, though?" Her fangs grazed my neck, lightly, and I gagged a little. "I could give you eternal life..." She gripped my hair in one hand, pulling it harshly to the side, enough to make me hiss in pain. "If only you would submit to my will..."

"Fuck you and your will," I spat.

She growled, and without another word, sank her teeth deep into my throat.

I cried out as excruciating pain filled me, turning my blood to acid. I gritted my teeth to try and keep my screams from being heard throughout the entire damn place, but the pain was too much to bear.

Minutes, or maybe hours, passed by as she fed on me, her long black lacquered nails digging into my scalp. My arms flopped uselessly to my sides, unable to move any longer. This pain… there was nothing like it.

I don't know how long she fed from me, but the next thing I knew I was being shaken awake.

I jumped, panic washing over me, and something like nausea. I took one look at the figure in front of me, someone blurred by my lack of sleep, nutrients, and blood loss, and began to gag.

"Oh!" A female voice, one I recognized in the back of my mind, but couldn't quite place it in my currently muddled state. "Here, lean over."

She helped me to turn onto my side, where I promptly expelled what meager contents were currently in my stomach, then dry heaved for what felt like an hour.

Finally, my stomach calmed down and I was able to sit up, wiping a hand across my face as I did. I didn't feel better in the slightest—my vision was still slightly blurry, and my head spun with a dizziness I almost never got rid of, but I was able to sit up without falling over, so I guessed that was something.

"What do _you_ want?" I spat in the bloodsucker's direction. I saw her flinch out of the corner of my eye.

 _What a strange vampire_ , I thought. She didn't torture me like the others, and she was the only one who ever brought me food, but she certainly wasn't someone I would call "good". She seemed like a newbie to me, as she still had that bloodlust in her eyes, and more often than not she couldn't stop herself from feeding on me.

"Come for a snack?" I snarled.

She looked slightly taken aback by that. She probably wasn't used to her food talking back.

"That's not why I'm here…" she trailed off, and I wondered what her strange look was about.

I studied her face a moment. She wasn't hideous for a vampire; she had short cropped white hair—which seemed a sharp contrast for a vampire, but what'd I know?—and girlish features that made her look younger than she probably was. She always wore white and silver clothing, occasionally some light blue mixed in, which all added to her peculiarity. If it weren't for the fangs and the blood red eyes, I would never associate this woman with vampires.

"Then why _are_ you here, Yuki?" I asked tiredly, dropping my head into my hands. My body shook with exhaustion. How much sleep had I gotten this week? "I have grown tired of all this skirting around bullshit."

She sighed heavily before beginning to pace as her Queen had done. I liked to think that I gave these vamps a run for their money—I was no easy-to-put-up-with prisoner. I wasn't just going to sit around and look pretty while they tortured my life away. Not just my life, my very _soul_ was at stake here.

"I just…" she bit her lip, hesitating. I narrowed my eyes at her, but she ignored that. "I heard Queen Minerva really took it out of you this morning."

I blinked at her, confused. "What the fuck do you care?"

She winced at both my tone and choice of expletive, which I knew she wasn't particularly fond of. Really, this chick was the least vampiric bloodsucker I'd ever met.

"Well, I don't like seeing anyone being unfairly mistreated."

I scoffed, then laughed bitterly. "Really?" I asked in disbelief. "You're a bloodsucking demon from hell, why would you care about a lowly human like me?"

She stood up straighter and took on a dignified air. "Just because I happen to be a vampire, does not mean that I am above normal feelings and emotions."

I scoffed again. "Like vampires _have_ feelings."

She scowled. "You may have been here longer than I," she said, "but you clearly don't know anything about my kind."

With that, she left the room in a flash.

I sighed heavily and leaned back against the wall, trying to squash the sudden guilt I felt. It was ridiculous to feel any sort of guilt over a fucking vampire. Why should I care what she thought? But I suddenly had the terrible feeling that she might dislike me, and I didn't like that.

 _You're screwed up in the head, Natsu,_ I thought bitterly. Who the hell cared what demons thought of them?

Exhaustion washed over me then, and I let it pull me under for some much-needed sleep…

...

I awoke to the sound of pages turning in a book, and the feeling of water dripping onto my eyelids.

I swiped the musty-smelling water from my face and pushed myself into a sitting position with a groan. My head spun, probably because my intruder had purposely woken me before I had gotten significant sleep. Sometimes I wondered if these vamps ever slept at all.

"To what do I owe this unpleasant surprise?" I asked, then coughed wildly for a moment. I turned toward where the sound was coming from, but my eyes were still blurred. I rubbed them with the backs of my hands, but his face still didn't come into focus. Whatever. I didn't need to see his ugly mug anyway.

"M'lady instructed me to come and harass you," he replied in a bored tone, flipping another page in his book. I squinted at the cover, trying to make out what he was reading. "But I took one look at your ugly face and decided I would die than converse with you."

"That can be arranged, I'm sure." I deadpanned.

He snorted. "I do not find you to be nearly as amusing as Yukino seems to. Though she is rather young for a vampire," he mused, tapping a long finger against his chin, "so her innocence can be overlooked—for now."

He snapped the book shut, the sound echoing off the walls of my prison. I winced slightly and rubbed at my left temple, which throbbed with a perpetual migraine it seemed.

"However," he continued, then crossed a leg across his knee and appeared thoughtful, "I suppose Yuki is right about one thing: M'lady does go a little overboard when it comes to her," —a pointed look in my direction— " _pets._ " He gave me a malicious smile that, even through my slightly distorted vision, was clear as day.

I scowled.

"That," he said, gesturing at me and my disheveled state, "is fairly amusing."

"You're a real sick bastard, you know that?" I spat, glaring in his direction.

He ignored me, picking up his book casually and standing to his feet. The feather in his hat swayed as he brushed back his long blonde tresses.

"No, actually, my parents were happily mated."

"Huh?"

 _Mated?_

"Well, I did my duty," he announced, turning his back on me. "I woke you from slumber, had some fun at your expense, and now I can leave."

I almost breathed a sigh of relief that he was letting me off that easy.

Almost.

Before I could let loose the breath I had been holding, he flashed across the room, sending a swift kick into my ribs. My back knocked against the wall hard, and I gasped for breath. I winced as the breath caused a sharp pain in my chest, meaning one of my ribs was either extremely bruised or broken.

"Sorry I can't stay," he said apologetically, tipping his hat to me before flashing out the door.

I turned and spat blood onto the floor and scowled.

"Asshole," I muttered, not caring if he could still hear me or not.

I lifted a hand up to my chest and lightly brushed my fingers against the bruised skin there, wincing as pain nearly made me convulse.

" _Shit_ ," I breathed, leaning back against the stone wall. It scraped my back, but it was better than the floor, which was always coated in dirt and grime and other unmentionables.

A single kick was enough to do me in.

How embarrassing.

It wasn't like I hadn't broken anything before, I was pretty sure I had more broken bones than not, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. Still, I'd take a broken rib over a vampire bite any day. There was no pain quite like that. Sometimes I welcomed a kick to the gut if it spared me from a bite.

 _This is my life,_ I thought bitterly, closing my eyes to fight back the gut-wrenching sob that threatened. _Why won't you just let me die already?_

* * *

 **A/N:** **Well, there is your three chapter preview! Let me know your guys' thoughts on how this story is going so far, and I'll see you on Monday for chapter 3!**

 **devo333100, Does that answer your question? XD**

 **alexis100, Yes, lemons in later chapters! As for your other question... You'll have to wait and see XD**


	4. Chapter 3: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Three: Lucy**

I was pacing in my expansive bedroom, hands clenched into tight fists as I muttered under my breath. I was so beyond frustrated by this point, it wasn't even funny. That Council meeting had me seething with rage, and I couldn't even remember the last time I'd slept.

I stopped when I caught my reflection in my full-length mirror, nearly gasping at the horrific sight. I was pale, paler than normal, and dark circles ringed my eyes, which looked as tired as I felt. My tiara, a small, silver piece with red rubies placed throughout, sat in my disheveled blonde locks, which looked like they had seen better days.

I yanked the tiara from my head, wincing as the tiny combs pulled my hair, and tossed it onto my vanity before running a brush through it to work out the tangles.

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, letting out a frustrated groan and turning away from the image. I didn't need to look at that anyway.

I threw myself onto my plush, red chair, dropping my head into my palm and closing my eyes. I had a migraine, one that seemed to be dragging on for days on end without relief. That was probably mostly due to my lack of sleep the last few days, but the added stress I had on me to take a mate wasn't helping.

"Maybe I don't even want to be Queen anymore," I mumbled to myself, then sighed. "But I have to take care of my people. I can't let Mother down; she wanted me to rule in her place. I just never knew it would be _this_ hard!"

I groaned again, feeling utterly defeated. What was I going to do about this law? I couldn't just change it, my ancestors set these rules in place for a reason, I just couldn't seem to figure out what that reason may be. Still. I couldn't just ignore them. Being Queen did not make me above the rules. Sometimes I thought being Queen just gave you more rules to live by.

I didn't even realize I had dozed off until a knock on my chamber door had me jumping like a startled deer.

"What?" I snapped at whoever dared disturb me.

 _A Queen never sleeps_ …

"Your Majesty," called a familiar voice. "May I enter?"

"Come in," I called back, then heard the door creak open and light footsteps heading in my direction. "To what do I owe this unexpected surprise?" I asked without looking up.

"My Queen," I glanced up to see him kneeling before me, "I came to offer my most humble apologies."

I blinked in surprise. "Gray, what do you possibly have to apologize for?"

He still kneeled before me, body shaking slightly as if afraid or anxious about something.

I frowned. "Gray?"

"I have failed you, my Queen," he bowed lower, nose touching the ground where my bare feet rested against the plush, gray carpet.

Now I was suspicious. I narrowed my eyes down at him, then inhaled deeply, trying to see if I could smell what was making him act this way.

Nothing.

"Gray Fullbuster, speak your piece at once," I ordered, having no patience to skirt around this topic. He flinched at the command in my voice but didn't lift his face.

"I… that is, Juvia and I, I mean she-we... I'm so sorry, my Queen!" he finally exclaimed.

My eyes widened and it took me less than a second to piece together what was going on here.

"Um," I began uneasily.

"It was an accident!" he cut me off.

"Oh?" I asked, tone flat. "An accident you say? Did someone hold a stake over your hearts to force you into this act?"

He flinched at my cold tone. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered. "I have committed a terrible crime, and I will take whatever punishment you see fit, but please, my Queen, I beg of you to have mercy on Juvia."

I sighed heavily. "Mating with someone whom is not your official mate is punishable by death, Gray."

He flinched, and if possible bowed even lower. "Please, have mercy on her. Kill me if you wish, but don't let my poor actions condemn her to the same fate."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic!" I snapped, the words echoing around us. "I'm not condemning either of you, Gray."

His head lifted a fraction, though not enough to look me in the eyes.

"Y-You're not?"

I scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. When have I ever enforced that ridiculous law? Half the vampires in this damn coven are sleeping around, for Mavis' sake!"

"So… I'm not being punished?" he clarified.

"No, Gray, why would I punish you?" I rolled my eyes. "Besides, I've known for a long time that you desire Juvia. Why don't you just Claim her already?"

He stiffened at that, and finally lifted his gaze to meet mine. His eyes shone with unshed tears, which I thought was odd seeing as he was usually the least feeling person I knew.

 _Except when it comes to Juvia,_ a voice inside my head reminded me.

"Claim her? Can I… that is, am I even allowed to—"

"Stop right there," I held up a hand to silence him. "Gray, it is not my place to decide whom you are allowed to love or not. The person you choose to be your mate has to be your choice and yours alone, I cannot make that decision for you.

"However, be advised that the one you choose will be your mate for eternity." I raised my eyebrows to emphasize the importance of this matter. "There is absolutely no going back once a Claim has been made, except in the case of death."

My mother's image popped into my head then, and how distraught my father had been—for a while. After the pain had lessened he had petitioned to take a new mate in the place of the one he had lost. I'd found it despicable, and instead of making the decision myself, put it up for a vote with the Council. They agreed that in the case of accidental death, one would be allowed the right to take a new mate. It was only me and Lilliana who opposed the idea, so the vote went in favor of my father.

That was three years ago, and I haven't spoken to him since.

"Death?" Gray echoed, a shudder going up his spine. "I-I couldn't just.. _Replace_ her like that. Juvia, she means everything to me." He looked into my eyes, and I could see the absolute sincerity in them. This boy was nothing like my father, who I'm certain never actually loved my mother at all. The thought made me smile.

"Good, then… you have my blessing. Or, whatever." I shrugged. I wasn't sure of the whole logistics part of Claiming, no one had asked for my permission before now. Maybe that spoke bad of my coven, but I didn't really care. As far as I was concerned, Claiming and mating were two things I had no business interfering with.

However, Gray's eyes lit up when I uttered those words. "Thank you, my Queen!"

"Ugh, stop calling me that. We're friends, Gray, you don't need to keep using such a formal title. Especially not when you're in my _bedroom_." I said pointedly.

He stiffened, and if he hadn't been a vampire I was sure he would have gone bright red in the face.

I smirked.

"S-Sorry, my Qu-" I raised an eyebrow, "-uh, Lucy." he grinned sheepishly.

I snorted a laugh.

"Well, thanks for the visit, but I have some things to attend to now, so…" I let my voice trail off, but the dismissive tone was there.

He quickly stood to his feet and bowed before me.

"As you wish, Lucy. And thank you… for everything." He gave me a wry smile, then turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

I shook my head in amusement. Had he seriously come all the way to my personal bedchamber just to confess to bedding Juvia? Why were my people all such nutcases? Like I couldn't smell their obvious attraction toward each other from a mile away; it permeated the air whenever the two were in the same room together.

I pushed to my feet, stumbling slightly when I did and winced as a strange sort of pain pressed against my head. It was like a headache but not quite. It was more sharp than throbbing, a sure sign that I was in need of blood. _Geez_ , how long had it been, anyway? I couldn't remember.

No wonder I felt so weak.

Since I was still in my "regal wear" from my Council meeting, I decided to change into something a little more casual. I tossed my itchy, velvet dress to the floor and kicked off the heels that were starting to make my feet sore. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a simple black t-shirt that would make my father absolutely livid if he were to see me, but I didn't care. I slipped my feet into a pair of black sandals and headed out.

I tried to keep my head down as I all but ran toward the feeding room, hoping to appear as inconspicuous as possible so as not to run into anyone. That lasted all of two minutes before someone called out my name.

That lasted all of two minutes before someone called out my name.

"Your Majesty!"

I winced as their voice echoed off the walls of the hallway. Did they have to alert the whole damn coven of my presence?

"Hello, Wendy," I greeted in a flat tone, letting my irritation at this interruption show. Well, it would if this weren't

Well, it would if this weren't _Wendy_ of all vampires—she could be a little dense at times. She was cute, with long blue hair that cascaded down her back, held out of her face by a dark green headband that matched her strappy dress. Since she was still so young, she had the job of errand girl, more or less, running back and forth delivering messages from Council members when needed.

"Your Majesty! There's an urgent matter that the Council needs to discuss with you at once!" the girl exclaimed in a rush. I sighed audibly and pinched the bridge of my nose. Hadn't I

I sighed audibly and pinched the bridge of my nose. Hadn't I _just_ come from a Council meeting? What could they possibly want with me now?

"Did they say what this 'urgent matter' could be?" I asked, my tone a bit harsher than was probably necessary, but I was tired and hungry and pissed as all hell.

This time my curt tone got through her thick skull.

She seemed to pause slightly before answering my question, lowering her gaze as if in submission.

I raised an eyebrow at that.

"Um, they didn't say, Your Majesty…" Wendy bit her lip for a moment, then added, "But it sounded important so I told them I would tell you right away!"

I sighed, exasperated. It didn't look like I was going to get my meal. Again.

"Fine, I'll see to it immediately."

Wendy bowed low before rushing off in the opposite direction.

I turned on my heel and followed my path back the way I had just come, navigating the halls on autopilot. A few people tried to get my attention as I stalked toward the Council's chambers, but I barely registered them, certainly not enough to even grasp who they were or what they could possibly want.

By the time I got back to where I'd just come from an hour ago—which was located on the opposite side of the coven lair than the feeding room—I was nearly dead on my feet.

I pushed through the door, the tiara I had somehow managed to remember to snatch on my way sitting crookedly atop my head, then took my seat at the head of the table. The room had fallen completely silent at my entrance, to which I was not surprised. What did they expect from me? I couldn't function without blood or sleep forever.

"Let's get this over with," I said in an irritated tone, eyes narrowed down the length of the table. I caught a few curious glances out of the corners of my eyes, but I didn't pay too much attention to those.

What _did_ catch my attention, however, was the tiny bluenette strapped to a chair at the back of the room.

I straightened my slumped posture at once and my bared my fangs in a growl, glaring around the table for the culprit. Whoever tied my friend to a chair was about to get their throat ripped out.

"Now, now," Makarov spoke up from the end of the table. I cast a steely glare on him, but he didn't so much as flinch. His expression was set with determination. He wasn't here to play games. "You must keep a civil mind,"

" _Civil mind?_ " I echoed in a growl. "Tell me, _Makarov_ , what's civil about tying up innocent girls? Huh?"

"She's not innocent."

My gaze flicked over to the emerald-eyed girl at Laxus' side. She bit her lip at my murderous glare and averted her eyes.

"I beg your pardon?" I asked, voice a low hiss.

"Sh-She's guilty of a most terrible crime, Your Highness," Lilliana murmured lowly.

"Tell me, Liana, what is this 'most terrible crime' you are accusing my friend of?" I was seething, eyes undoubtedly reflecting this as most of the others, save Makarov, had their eyes downcast. Even Levy looked a little fearful from where she sat, though that could just be from whatever ridiculous thing she was being accused of because there was no way—

"She brought a human into our walls."

My blood froze.

My eyes shifted to a smug-faced Laxus, and it was all I could do not to tear him to shreds right then and there. But that would solve nothing.

"What?" my voice barely audible.

"We caught her trying to sneak him up to the surface." Laxus continued in that same smug tone.

"Who's this 'we'?" I demanded, fixing him with a death glare that was enough to make him flinch.

"Well… Lilliana and I were walking to our quarters—"

"What did you see, Liana?" I turned my gaze back to the blonde, whose bare toes were curling uncomfortably into the carpet. "Be very specific."

"Um, well, I didn't exactly _see_ the act…" she admitted in a whisper.

I turned back to Laxus.

"So it was just you." Not a question, a statement.

His eyes narrowed at the table. "...Yes."

"So, let me get this straight," I sat back in my chair, adjusted the tiara atop my head, then folded my hands in my lap, face completely blank of expression. "You're accusing Levy McGarden of committing this crime without any sort of evidence, and without any witnesses to back up your claim. Am I warm?"

"Well, I saw her with my own two eyes…" he argued, though his eyes remained fixed on the black marble tabletop.

"What were you doing up at the surface anyway?" I asked. "Because your personal quarters aren't anywhere near there and you know for a fact that no one is allowed near the surface entrance except during the Day of Rest." Laxus seemed to sink into himself with each new thing I threw his way. "So if you had, indeed, seen Ms. McGarden at the surface, that would mean that you had also gone up where you do not belong, which would put you in the same boat as she is in."

"I didn't—" he started, but I wasn't done with his ass yet.

"You didn't what, Laxus?" I seethed. "You didn't see Ms. McGarden at the surface?" He chewed the inside of his cheek, ignoring my questions. "If you didn't see Ms. McGarden committing the aforementioned act than you'd sure as hell better speak up now, or so help me, Mavis, I'll rip your head off right here in front of your darling mate."

Lilliana flinched at the comment, eyes wide and terrified. I hated having to drag her into this too, I actually really liked Lilliana, way more than her asshole mate, but Laxus needed to know how serious I was.

"...I must have been mistaken, my Queen." he finally said, tone flat, unconvincing. The others could tell, too, I could feel it, their hesitation and confusion were palpable.

"So, your claim was false?" I affirmed. He nodded meekly, fists clenched in his lap as he struggled to hold in his anger. "Do you understand the consequences of making such a claim of another member of your coven?" I raised an eyebrow at him. His mate squeaked beside him, clearly terrified.

"Your Highness," Makarov began, "while I agree that such a false claim is unquestionably wrong, and some punishment is certainly in your right, I think, perhaps, that what you are thinking may be a little overboard, considering—"

"Considering what?" I snapped harshly. "A claim such as this would have gotten a member of our coven a stake through the heart! She would be dead. _That_ is what I call 'going overboard'."

"Lucy is right," Erza spoke up, ever my loyal confidant. "This matter is resolved: Laxus made an unfair claim on Levy McGarden, and now he must face the consequences of his actions." She turned a steely gaze on Laxus, whose eyes went even wider under Erza's terrifying glower. It was amusing, really, and even in my currently pissed-off state, I had to bite back a laugh at his expense. "Whatever punishment Queen Lucy serves, you will gladly take, without question or complaint."

He gulped.

All eyes turned on me next, waiting for my ruling.

I sighed. "Laxus Dreyar, falsely accusing a member of your family of such a crime of this magnitude is not only wrong, it is unforgivable," I started, making sure to hold his gaze so he knew the seriousness of this situation. "However, I will let you off easy—this time.

"I order three days in the cells, no blood, no food, no visitors." A pointed look at Lilliana, who bit her lip and looked away. "That is all." I slammed a hand down onto the table, creating a loud echo that signified the end of this meeting.

They all got to their feet, and Makarov and Erza followed closely behind Laxus—they would be the ones to see to his punishment now.

Once they had all gone a considerable distance away, far enough that they could no longer overhear us, I flashed across the room and tore the ropes that bound my friend.

"Th-Thanks, Lu, I—"

"Levy, what did I tell you earlier?" I demanded, fixing her with a firm stare.

"I was trying to—"

"Do you see what I was trying to warn you about now?" I cut her off, gripping her arms hard, eyes level with hers. "Do you see why you cannot bring a human into this place?"

Her eyes watered. "I know," she whispered, shame coloring her tone. "I'm sorry, Lucy,"

I sighed, in defeat this time and pulled her into my arms, hugging her tightly.

"Levy," I whispered, voice shaking slightly. "You do not understand the severity of what I just did. I barely got you out of that one, and it was not without consequence."

"I know," she said, voice cracking at the end. She clung to me, arms wrapped securely around my waist. "I am forever in your debt."

"I don't know how long I can keep Laxus off your tail; you need to be more careful. I can't think of what I'd do if—" I broke off, unable to finish the thought. She tightened her hold on me.

"I'll be more careful," she promised.

"No more human pets," I told her fiercely, pulling back to look her in the eyes. "Promise me, Levy."

She hesitated a moment, biting her lip as she gazed back at me. Finally, she said, "No more humans."

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, guys! Thank you all so much for your support on this new story of mine, all of your reviews, faves and follows have been so encouraging. I continue to write because of you guys. Your encouragement means a lot to me.**

 **Also... I'm looking for a beta for TOF, so if any of you are interested or know of a beta who is available to work with me ASAP, I'd love for you to send me a PM! Thanks!**

 **devo333100, They meet... in a later chapter. Don't worry, Nalu will be reunited! However, you will just have to stick around and see the answers to your questions! I can't reveal ALL my secrets!**

 **I hope you all have a wonderful week and I'll see you for my next update!**

 **—Stele**

 **PS: BTW, I update my profile often so check there for story updates! I often put upcoming fics I'm working on in my profile as well as information on fics I'm currently working on. If there's anything else you guys would like to know or would like to see, let me know and I'll take note of that.**


	5. Chapter 4: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Four: Natsu**

Some days, it was impossible to function at all. I spent more time sleeping than not; more time lost in a hollow black haze, driven deeper and deeper into nothingness. A complete lack of will or desire to live weighed heavily upon my shoulders most days.

Today was no exception.

My ribs throbbed painfully inside my chest from Rufus's swift kick. The whole right side of my chest was one, large dark purple-almost-black bruise that ached every time I so much as breathed—breath that came out in short, shallow gasps as it was, hitched and weak.

My head spun, my eyes blurred, my throat was raw from screaming at the walls for hours on end about how fucked I was and how much I just wanted it all to stop. I begged them to kill me more times than not, begged anyone and everyone.

No one paid me any mind.

I shifted on the dirty, hard floor, trying to adjust my position into something less painful. The movement forced my ribs to give a slight cracking sound and I cried out at the pain that cut so deep I saw stars dancing in my vision. Briefly, I wondered what it would take to end my own life. Maybe if I threw myself into a wall my ribs would break the fragile tissues of my heart and I would finally be free of this pain.

 _No, that is the coward's path out._

With a grunt of pain that turned into an ear-shattering cry of rage, I managed to push myself into a sitting position and leaned my back against the wall because I was too weak to stay upright on my own. This new position was a bitch on my tailbone and ass, but the floor was starting to make my back numb while also giving it a simultaneous ache that pinched and twisted my muscles like a pretzel.

I brought a hand up to wipe at the drips of water that still plopped onto my head every other second or so, even after so many days of being here, making the chains rattle and clang when I let my hand fall back down. My wrists had long since grown raw beneath the rusting metal that bit into my skin, scratching and scraping away skin, leaving them streaked with blood and pieces of raw flesh that would most likely never heal.

My head turned to the left and my eyes scanned over a succession of tally marks chiseled into the wall there.

One-thousand, one-hundred and forty days.

Three years, one month, and fifteen days.

Well, that was a rough estimate of days but it was still close. Some days I wasn't sure if I even woke up at all, the pain would be so intense that the blackness would hold me prisoner in body in mind while the rest of me was held prisoner in Sabertooth Hell.

Today seemed to be a rarely quiet day, though that was usually a deceiving sign. It was probably some ungodly early hour for vampires, which probably meant they were all asleep in their coffins or wherever the hell creatures of darkness slept. I'd die to have a coffin to sleep in—no pun intended. At least it'd be something to sleep on that wasn't a hard floor packed with dirt and grime.

My stomach growled loudly, the sound echoing off the closeness of the walls, a complaint. It was hungry, the painful sort of hunger that made your insides feel like they were being twisted like taffy, pulled and tugged, forced into shapes it wasn't meant to be in. It was not an unfamiliar feeling, though it still made my head spin and my stomach ache painfully.

I wondered if I would be given food today. Saber-Bitch fed on me yesterday (or maybe it was the day before, I couldn't remember), taking nearly all of my blood. Normally, on these days following a feeding, I would be 'rewarded' with food, some kind of mushy gruel that tasted like ass and a little bit like dirt, but hey it was food. Sometimes, however, Minerva liked to watch me suffer. She let me sit there until I was minutes from death, then send Yuki to bring me some gruel.

I often wondered why they bothered keeping me around for all this time. Three years I'd been stuck in this prison. Three years of feedings and beatings and overall torture in the worst possible ways.

It was maddening. Some days I was half hysterical.

No one visited me on these days.

Small blessings.

"Ugh," I groaned. "Fuck me."

"Ooh, is that an invitation?" The familiar voice made me grit my teeth together in a silent growl. "I don't usually go for the weak human types, but since you're offering yourself up so willingly…"

My eyes narrowed on the blonde vampire smirking at me. He was shirtless, much to my disgust, and carried what looked like a syringe in one hand and a bottle of some kind of liquor in the other.

"Sting," I said, "the Queen's loverboy. Thanks for coming to keep me company, but I'm not interested in what little you have to offer." My tone made it clear that he didn't have anything to offer.

Sting scowled. "I don't know why m'lady keeps such an arrogant brat around as a pet."

I smirked. "Well, probably because, unlike you, I have a lot to offer."

Nostrils flared, fangs bared, red eyes gleamed predatorily.

"You little bastard!" Sting snarled.

I gave him a look of mock offense. "Little? I assure you, bloodsucker, that I am very large."

He lunged at me, fists clenched and teeth bared.

 _Okay, that was stupid…_

A hard fist connected with my face and ribs simultaneously. The pain was instantaneous and knocked the breath out of me.

"You'll pay for that, freak." Then something sharp stung my neck, the syringe assumedly. My eyes rolled to the back of my head. "A treat from the Queen. A little bit of venom, not enough to turn you, just enough to send you into excruciating pain."

My vision started to go black, but just before I was pulled under into oblivion, I caught a glimpse of silver hair and a pained expression. I thought she may have uttered my name, but just as her mouth formed the word, I fell onto my side and passed out.

…

 _Three-hundred sixty-five days._

 _I have officially been a vampire's prisoner for one year. This should be a celebration of some kind. There should be cake and streamers and little party hats. One year of being someone's feeder, someone's punching bag, both a verbal and physical punching bag, the best kind._

 _It's cold today, colder than I remember it being a year ago. Or maybe my memory is just hazy. The chill is biting and makes me shake so hard my stomach is cramping and my muscles are tense and sore. The water that drips into my hair feel like tiny ice shards hitting my scalp._

 _No one has been down to my cell in days. I feel weak, my energy slowly depleting each day I'm left without food or water. This isn't uncommon for the bloodsucking demons, they often leave me for days to slowly deteriorate. But when they come back, it's never just to drop off food and leave. There is always some form of torture. Sometimes I can't decide which is worse, when they leave me alone or when they don't. Are the bites and kicks worth what meager food I am given?_

 _I am slumped against the wall, trying to ignore the grumbling in my stomach juxtaposed with the twisting ache of constant tension from all my shivering. It is not a good feeling. I wish I could walk around to keep warm but my chains don't allow me to do more than crouch._

 _Well, there is one thing I can do…_

 _Shaky and weak, I turn so that I'm on my hands and knees, my back to the door because I don't give a shit if the bloodsuckers get a bit of a view. My arms shake wildly beneath me and my muscles, weak from the last several months of disuse, threaten to fold in and make me collapse. It wasn't until about three weeks ago that I decided I needed to_

 _It wasn't until about three weeks ago that I decided I needed to_ do _something. I started with pushups and situps because those were the only things I could do while chained to the wall. So far, it has done nothing but make me even more sore and tired than normal, but I still kept going, every day doing a little bit more, pushing a little bit harder. One day it would pay off. I refused to be the weak human snack dispenser. I would get strong again if it was the last thing I did._

" _Come on, Natsu." I slowly extend my legs out behind me, placing my bare toes against the rough ground (they're already cut up and raw; I ignore the pain). I take a deep breath to steady myself, then bend my arms until my nose taps the grimy floor, then push back up._

" _One," I gasp out. My legs threaten to buckle; my arms shake so violently I'm afraid they'll snap in half. Still, I push on, lowering myself into another pushup, then another. Five, six, seven. Ten, eleven, twelve._

 _Five, six, seven. Ten, eleven, twelve._

 _Ten, eleven, twelve._

" _Fifteen." I fall onto my face._

 _It's the most I have been able to do since I started this. It's not a great number by any means, but compared with how I started I'm pleased with how much progress I've made in just a few short weeks. I'm still weak, but I think that comes more from lack of food and blood than physical strength. That's lacking too, but at least in that area, I can do something about it. I can't do anything about my current state of hunger._

 _I fall onto my back, chest heaving with hoarse breath, and stare up at the ceiling. The vines that stretch like tendrils across it seem to shift in and out of focus, becoming larger, then smaller, longer, then shorter, green, then blue then black then nothing._

 _I squeeze my eyes shut to stave away the dizziness. It doesn't help. My head still spins. I feel as if I'm a raft floating on the open sea. The waves are lapping against my sides, making me tip but not enough to fill me with water, not enough to pull me under and drown me._

 _Not yet._

 _I cough wetly, long and hard, the effort making my raft dip just a bit lower into the raging sea. The blackness pushes against me but doesn't yet take me._

 _I am dead._

 _I am alive._

 _I am nothing at all._

 _I don't think I doze, but the next thing I know a cool hand is touching my forehead, followed by a soft, tinkling voice I've never heard before. I don't recognize the words. I'm being pulled farther out to sea, into the middle of the ocean where nothing and no one can reach me. I do not pull back, I do not fight against it. Let it take me. I have nothing left to live for._

" _You're going to be okay," the voice whispers, or maybe it's the wind teasing my ears and playing with the edges of my consciousness._

 _Close… I am so close. Just a little further and I'll be free._

 _Something pricks the inside of my arm, like teeth, but smaller and more pointed. A needle? It stings. Fire hot liquid pushes into my veins, travels through my bloodstream straight into my heart. That too burns, but I can't decide if it's a good pain or not. It isn't unbearable, but I still don't like it._

" _Burns," I croak out, not sure who I'm even talking to. The wind will not answer my calls. The wind does not care if something is lighting my insides on fire._

" _Shh," the wind whispers back anyway. A brush of a hand against my forehead once more. "The pain will lesson soon, just hold on. You won't die today. I promise."_

 _Why am I being tortured like this? Why won't the wind just let me die? Let the ocean pull me under and drown me in its icy depths to forever disappear. Free me from this hell._

" _I'm sorry," the wind whispers. "It's the only thing I can do to help you."_

" _No… help…" I mumble. What am I even trying to say? I don't need help? Or I don't want it?_

" _I'm sorry," it repeats. "I'll come back with some food, later. Get some rest now."_

" _Wind…" I try to call the wind back, to coax it's cool touch back on my burning flesh._

" _There is no wind in here, boy," the wind lies. Why does it lie? Does it think that I can't feel it? "Do you know who you are?" It asks me. A stupid question. Why wouldn't I know who I am?_

" _Nat-su…" I cough again, feel saliva and something else fly out. Blood, maybe._

" _Natsu…" The wind repeats thoughtfully. "I am Yukino."_

Yukino _._

 _The wind has a name. I wonder, just before the blackness finally claims me, if the wind has a face too._

* * *

 **A/N: I am actually really pleased with how this little dream sequence came out. I love metaphors, and I think Natsu talking about being a raft in the ocean and being pulled out to sea, and Yukino being just a whisper of wind, was a really cool idea to play around with. I actually just wrote this chapter and the next chapter this weekend, so these are brand new, even to the couple of friends who have read this whole story with me from the beginning. I wanted to add these two chapters to give a little more detail into what our protagonists are going through. Hopefully, you guys like it too!**

 **Thank you so much to all of you who have been reviewing/favorting/following! I'm super excited at how well this story is doing all around. You guys are the best!**

* * *

FairyTailxFanGirl, Thanks! I think I fixed it now XD

FairyRains, THAT question will be answered in chapter... seven, I believe! Well, it might answer half of your question in chapter five. That's an excellent question though!

FairyTailBookworm, *winks* Very interesting thought process you've got going on... This is a very structured society. I tried to make it seem as realistic as possible, with its own laws and beliefs. Your question will be answered in another chapter. I can't remember the number... I think it's chapter nine. Maybe eleven. But it WILL come up!

PersonaUserOrpheus3245, Haha, my best friend hated Lucy's guts for like twenty-five chapters before she finally decided she wasn't an evil bitch from hell. I showed her your comment, she told me I should give you cookies. XD I can't really say much on that without giving away too much background plot, so I'll just let you draw your own conclusions.


	6. Chapter 5: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Five: Lucy**

I walked somberly back to my chambers. I felt like I was walking through honey, my body so weak and exhausted, each step slow and leaden. I was slumped forward slightly, making the tiara slip down and hair to cover half my vision. I didn't bother moving it, I was too tired to care. If I ran into a wall, so what. Maybe I'd just lie there on the floor where I landed and take a nice nap.

 _Levy…_ I thought with a deep sigh. What was I going to do about her? I couldn't keep Laxus caged forever, he was a perfectly innocent bystander—well, actually he was a total asshole and deserved to be locked up more often than not, but that wasn't the point. I knew he had just ratted her out just to be a dick, even if it was technically the right thing to do, but that didn't mean he deserved punishment. Still, it could have been a lot worse. I'd gone easy on him, but I couldn't let my fellow coven members think that they could just get away with things.

 _Like Levy? Good going. You get the Bitch of the Year award, Lucy._

"Shit," I cursed under my breath at the thought. It was true, I was a hypocrite. But what was I supposed to do, let my best friend get killed because she'd been a little curious? It wasn't _that_ big of a deal, it wasn't like humans _never_ came down here. They just weren't... _snuck_ down here. Typically, only raid parties with pre-approved permission to do so were allowed to pick up humans. Usually, the Council had to come to a unanimous vote on when/if a human or humans were to be taken back to the coven.

Then there were the special cases…

I thought about the small girl we had brought in, just a human who was close to death, that lived only because she'd been turned. That didn't happen often, though. We weren't a coven that liked to end human life in favor of immortality. Our coven still existed by procreation, just like any other species. We didn't relish the thought of killing innocent humans, but sometimes that bloodlust became overwhelming to some vampires, hence the law that forbade any humans from entering the coven.

That was why Levy would have gotten into so much more trouble had I not been there to do something about it. It didn't make what she'd done right, and it didn't excuse her actions or mine, but... life or death was not something to be taken lightly. I wouldn't just throw her life away because of something like that. She had taken him out of the coven as I'd asked, that was all that mattered. That was done now.

I sighed deeply and turned another corner. I didn't even know where I was going until I ran straight into the door, hard, my face connecting with the wood before I fell backward onto my butt.

"Ow," I complained, rubbing my forehead where I'd hit the door.

"Lucy?"

I glanced up at the sound of my name. The figure was distorted from the hair covering my face but I'd know that voice anywhere.

I attempted a tired smile. "Hey, Gray."

…

"Wow," Gray said once I'd filled him in on all the details from the meeting and how we'd gotten there. I even told him about Levy and the human boy and how I'd somehow managed to keep her from meeting the sharp end of a stake by throwing Laxus into the fire instead. "I can't believe she would do something so stupid."

Levy, Gray and I had been friends since childhood, and the only person who knew Levy better than I did was Gray, so this had come as a shock to him too.

"I know," I sighed. I had my face buried in my hands from both exhaustion and shame. Gray sat beside me and rubbed soothing circles into my back as I leaned against his side, taking comfort in the presence of a friend. "Do you think I'm a horrible person?"

Gray snorted. "No. Laxus is a bastard, he needed a good vacation to the Crypts."

"Ugh, I wish you wouldn't say it like that, it sounds so morbid."

Gray chuckled. "You're not horrible, Lucy. You did what you thought was right. Levy would have _died_ , all Laxus got was a couple of days to sit alone with his ego. The worst that'll happen is he'll die of boredom—if we get that lucky."

I leaned back and swatted him playfully in the chest. "Stop, we don't want to wish death on any of our family."

He smiled unapologetically. "Yeah, you say that now, but just wait until he's back at your Council table hurling insults at you like flying stakes."

I arched an eyebrow. "What kind of analogy is that?"

"An accurate one," he replied seriously.

I laughed, but it quickly turned into a yawn. I rubbed my eyes with the backs of my hands. "I'm so tired, Gray."

"Why do I feel like you're talking about more than just lack of sleep?" he asked softly, gently nudging my head back down onto his shoulder. I didn't resist. My eyes were already closed.

"It's so much work…" I whispered. "You have no idea the amount of time I spend talking to all the members of the coven, making sure everyone is okay, the mounds of paperwork. Ugh," I groaned. "That's the worst."

Gray chuckled softly. "You put too much weight on your shoulders at once, Lucy. You do everything around here, even though the Council is there for that very reason, to _help you._ Let them take over some of your duties once in a while."

"It's not that simple," I sighed wearily. "I would love to give away some of my duties, but a lot of things I _have_ to do myself. I have to make sure everything is done properly and doesn't get screwed up because someone is too careless or lazy to take the time to actually do the damn job. Or—"

"Luce," Gray cut me off. "You're amazing, you know that?"

I sucked in a breath of surprise. "I'm not," I whispered. "I fail so much—everyday. I feel like I can't do anything right."

"You just said that no one can do those jobs correctly except for you," he reminded me. "Because you don't fail, Lucy. You're a good Queen, just like your mother was."

I sniffled, choking back sobs that threatened to turn me into a blubbering mess. I wasn't supposed to show weakness in front of my 'subjects,' my father would tell me. Tears were weak and childish and led people to believe that you were unworthy and unable to perform at a Queenly level.

I cleared my throat and sat back, wiping my eyes and giving Gray a weak smile. "Thanks, Gray. It's good to have a friend like you."

He leaned forward and rested his forehead on mine, a small smile on his lips. "I'll always be here for you, Luce. Always."

…

I remember when I was five-years-old, my mother took me up to the surface for the first time. We weren't allowed to go above, or it was extremely discouraged for Queens or future Queens, so that was the first time I'd ever been outside of the coven walls.

It was just me and Mother and we stood at the bottom of the surface entrance. My young brain calculated the climb to be a hundred miles from where I stood. It seemed perfectly logical to me, but when I said this to my mother she just gave a light laugh and told me to get on her back so she could carry me up.

It didn't take as long to climb up as I'd thought it would, and I remember thinking that my mother must have been the fastest vampire in the whole world to climb a hundred miles that fast. I was grinning and giggling with excitement, but at the same time, my body shook with nervous anticipation.

"Don't worry, Luce," my mother said to me, smiling at me over her shoulder. "You're safe with me."

Then she unlatched the various metal locks from the trapdoor and pushed it open. It fell on the grass outside with a soft thud.

Something cool drifted down across our faces and played with my hair, tickling my face. I breathed in and smelled something fresh and crisp. I let out a sigh.

"That's called fresh air, baby," my mother told me as she climbed the remaining feet of the ladder. "And this is the surface."

I was always curious back then, always interested in knowing what everything was and how it worked. I remember when my mother set me down on the grass that I let out a sudden gasp of surprise. It was cold and damp beneath my bare feet, and the soft strands tickled my toes. The air was cool, almost cold, but it felt so good as it blew across my face I didn't even care.

My eyes scanned the area, taking in all the vivid colors around me from where I crouched in the grass, too afraid to stand up even though my mother was. She looked perfectly at ease standing there, smiling down at me with fond amusement. I wanted to be like her, strong and confident and unafraid of anything or anyone.

Except for my father…

"Come now, darling," my mother's voice prompted my attention. I glanced up. She held out a hand to me, encouraging me to come closer—I still hovered near the entrance. "You're safe, I promise. I won't let anything happen to you."

I remember the hesitation I felt, the conflicting emotions. I wanted to be strong, but I didn't know how to squash the fear I felt inside, the crushing feeling of someone's eyes on my back, watching me.

"It's so dark, Mommy…" I whispered. My eyes still flicked around nervously, toes curling and uncurling in the grass.

"That's because the sun went to bed," she explained.

"What is the sun?" I asked with a frown. I had heard the word before but I'd never seen it myself.

 _I never would._

"Oh, it's beautiful, Luce!" Mother said. Finally, she must have decided that I wasn't going anywhere and plopped down right beside me in her fancy dress and heels. I remember thinking she must be pretty brave to risk getting grass on her dress. If my father found out…

"What does it look like?" I wondered.

"It's a brilliant star, my love. Look," she pointed up to the sky, which was black and dotted with blinking white orbs that were only just visible from where we were. "Those are called stars. The sun is like one of those, only a million times brighter and so, so warm."

"Warm?" I shivered as a gust of wind blew against me and almost made me topple backward. I wrapped my arms around myself but didn't move.

I tried to decide what a warm star would feel like, tried to imagine what it would be like to stand beneath its heat and bask in the brilliant light that shone down upon me. Would it be like a spotlight? Or a light from a chandelier? Or was it even brighter than that?

"Mommy, how come we can't go outside when it's daytime?" I turned my gaze to my mother who gave me a sad smile in return.

"It's not safe for us in the sun, baby."

At the time, that answer had made me frown. I didn't understand what that meant. She'd told me the sun was beautiful and warm, so why wouldn't we be safe? Now, of course, I knew the truth. Vampires burn in the sun. It was akin to fire to our bodies. I still didn't understand how or why, but I knew better than to ever venture out into its warmth.

We didn't spend much time up there, my mother and I. We stayed right by the surface entrance and just watched the stars for while, taking in the fresh, cool breeze. I tried to memorize each and every detail I could, from the stars in the sky to the little dewdrops on the blades of grass at my feet. The trees, the leaves which still had beads of water on them. The birds that twittered in its branches, getting ready for sleep. The soft sound of water rushing from somewhere nearby and the faint taste of salt on the wind.

That was the first and last time I'd been to the surface. My father had been so angry when we'd come back to our shared quarters. He screamed at my mother for what felt like hours, hands gesturing wildly around him like he was seconds away from striking her. But he wouldn't do that. No one left marks on a Queen and lived.

Well, not physical marks. The emotional scars my mother and I shared ran far deeper than any physical wound.

By the time I made it back to my room that night, the memories of my past pressed so deep against my mind that I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't deal with this thing called 'life' any longer.

I threw myself on my bed, clothes and all, and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Kind of a short nothing chapter, sorry guys. Next chapter should be more... satisfying, but that's all I'll say about it XD.**

* * *

 **MorriganFae, Hm... I'm not sure how many chapters this story will be when it's finished, but currently, I have thirty-two chapters complete! There should be at least fifty, but most likely more than that.**

 **PerchanceADream, Hahaha, that's actually really funny. I understand what you're trying to say! I'm glad you still like the story! I swear she gets more likable eventually... I hope XD**

 **Insane-As-The-Mind, Aw thanks! I haven't seen a vampire AU on here for Fairy Tail either and thought the idea sounded really interesting to play around with. So far, I really like the dynamic. Hopefully you will as well!**

 **Rinthewolf, Thanks! I really love the whole strong female dynamic as well, which is a huge part of why I love this story so much personally. I really wanted to write a story in which females were portrayed as the powerhouses instead of the damsels. I feel like there aren't enough stories like that out there.**


	7. Chapter 6: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Six: Natsu**

I always knew when the first of the month came around because that was literally the _only_ day I was able to get clean (well, as clean as I could get).

I wasn't sure on the specifics, but the first of every month was something called "the Day of Rest" for vampires, though that was all I knew about it. On this day, I was able to get a 'shower,' which was essentially a bucket of ice-cold water with soap thrown in and a pair of somewhat clean short-pants-things that never fit exactly right, but, hey, at least they didn't smell like death.

I sat cross-legged on the floor as Yukino picked out the tangles from my hair that a month of not bathing and constant blood clots from hits across the top of my head always caused. It hurt, but not as bad as when she drank from me, and it at least made me feel somewhat human again, so I'd finally relented when she offered to help me out some months ago.

She used her claws to pull out the clumps of dried blood, which always took a good half an hour or more, then ran a spiky brush with metal combs through the locks to work out the remaining tangles.

My hair was getting pretty long, since I wouldn't let her anywhere near my head with a pair of scissors, so it was a tedious job. Occasionally, she would point this out in a not-so-subtle way of telling me I should have it cut, but I refused each time. She probably could have forced me to comply, but for some reason this vampire didn't hate my guts, which was odd.

"Alright," she said, sitting back and setting the brush on the floor beside her, which had pink locks tangled in the combs. "I think I got the majority of the tangles out."

"I think you pulled half my hair out along with the tangles," I noted dryly, raising an eyebrow at the brush.

"Maybe if it wasn't so _long_ , I wouldn't have such a hard time getting the tangles out," she shot right back.

I couldn't help the amused snort I let out. _There it is._

"Anyway," she continued, "hurry up and wash your hair out before Queen Minerva comes down to investigate."

"Isn't she occupied with this Day of Rest shit?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She scowled and ignored my question, pushing to her feet and bringing the brush with her.

"I won't wait forever, you know," she warned.

"Really?" I asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Because I was under the impression bloodsucking demons lived for eternity. So it looks to me like you have all the time in the world to wait around for me."

She turned a narrowed-eyed glare my way. " _I_ do," she said, "but _you_ do not have such luxuries."

That brought me up short.

I scowled and chose not to reply, instead dunking my whole head into the bucket of ice-cold soapy water she had brought for me, jagged fingernails scrubbing the long, pink locks until they felt almost clean. I let my nails scrape my scalp, too, because that was always caked in blood and dirt, then flung my head back, sending a spray of water at Yukino, who squeaked in surprise and jumped out of the way.

"Mongrel," she hissed at me, shaking out the water that now clung to her–very white–now see-through blouse, effectively revealing the white bra beneath. I couldn't have done a better job if I'd tried.

I smirked.

Catching my gaze, she quickly covered her chest with her arms and turned slightly away from me, a murderous glare now fixed on her face.

"That was terribly unkind," she seethed, voice taking on an irritated tone. I shrugged, and her glare deepened.

 _If looks could kill,_ I thought. The old adage brought an amused smile to my lips.

Yukino growled and flashed across the room, pinning me to the floor and knocking over the bucket of soapy water, which soaked through my new(ish) pants. Before I could react to this change of events, she had her teeth in my skin.

My cries were muffled by the hand she held over my mouth, purposely trying to keep me as quiet as possible which I always found strange. Was she not allowed to drink from me? Surely the Queen Demon herself could tell when another vampire bit me?

Then again, maybe not.

Yukino only drank from me enough to get a "snack," and not enough to make me pass out from blood loss.

She pulled back from my neck, then slid her tongue across the wound she'd made to seal it. It was always a strange sensation, feeling my skin seal. It didn't hurt exactly, but it didn't feel good. It was an uncomfortable sort of feeling.

The glare was gone when she pulled away from me, replaced with a look of contentment. I scowled at that, feeling disgust wash over me as I always did after being fed on.

"Thank you," she said, before turning and leaving the room without another word.

I grumbled under my breath about _how fucking annoying_ women were, then pushed myself into a sitting position and scooted away from the puddle of water that covered the floor.

 _Ah well_ , I thought. _That damn floor needs some soap anyway_.

I ran a hand through my hair, which didn't get caught in tangles for once, and tried to right the haphazard locks. It was no use, I could tell; even without a mirror I knew my hair never really fell exactly as it should. Not that it mattered. It wasn't like I had anyone to impress.

Another good thing about the monthly Day of Rest was how damn quiet it became in here. I almost never got visits from any of the vamps besides Yukino, so it was almost like a day of rest for me, as well.

I stretched my arms as far as the chains would allow, feeling my bones crack as I worked out the tension in my stiff muscles. With a heavy yawn, I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes.

…

I awoke to searing pain flooding my body.

"Nng!" I tried to cry out, but there was a thick cloth stuffed in my mouth, muffling the scream. Someone was biting me, but they obviously weren't there with the intention to feed. I'd only experienced this sort of bite a handful of times these last three years, only when I really pissed off Minerva, but it was a pain even worse than an ordinary feeding, made worse, still, by the cloth that tasted of battery acid, stinging my nose and throat.

Nails dug into my scalp, but they weren't the long, claw-like nails that the women possessed, these were short and dull, though still managed to inflict pain as they gripped my skull with an undeniable force.

 _A male,_ I thought as the pain threatened to pull me back under, but no. That was what the cloth was for, and the disgusting taste—it would keep me from passing out.

I struggled against his hold, suddenly more afraid than I'd been since coming here. I couldn't see his face, so I had no idea who this person even was. All I knew was that this pain was too intense even for me, and I needed it to stop.

 _What the fuck is going on?!_ I wondered, as his fangs tore into my flesh again and again.

"Father!"

At the exclamation, my gaze shifted, albeit blearily, to the entrance of my cell—wait, no, this wasn't my cell. This room was different, darker and more cave-like. An eerie sense filled the air and I felt my blood turn cold.

Minerva stood in the doorway, fists clenched and body shaking with rage. Her scornful expression was enough to leave goosebumps on my skin, but my attacker merely pulled back, almost casually so, and fixed her with an equally terrifying glower.

" _Minerva_ ," the word was a hiss, and my blood dripped from his fangs, making me gag.

"You will call me by my proper title, Father," Minerva sneered, looking ever the terrifying ruler. "I am your Queen."

He scoffed, "You are a spoiled little brat that needs a good thrashing."

She flinched at that, the coldness in this man's voice rivaled that of Minerva's, which I didn't think was even possible.

"Why do you have a human pet inside these walls?" he demanded of her, then reached back and gripped a chunk of my hair, pulling me down to the floor and pressing my face against the hard rock.

"He's _mine!_ " she seethed, looking like she might lunge for him, or maybe for me. "I found him, so he's mine to keep!"

"You know the rules, Minerva!" the man bellowed, the sound ricocheted off the walls of the cave and reverberated through my skull to the point where I swore my ears were bleeding.

Minerva winced, covering her ears and letting out a sharp hiss through her teeth.

"You are supposed to bend to my will!" she screeched at him. "This is _my_ coven now—!"

"Your mother didn't know what she was doing when she appointed you as leader," the man sneered at her. "She was just as worthless as you. Women shouldn't rule! It's preposterous!"

"That's the way it has been for millennia, Father!" she argued, red eyes reflecting the rage she felt, the greens of her eyes completely consumed by them.

I tried to get away from her father—did demons even have fathers?—but all I managed to do was scrape my face on the sharp rocky floor. His hand didn't so much as budge as I struggled. I don't even think he noticed, the bastard.

"Things change."

I shuddered as the cold tone echoed throughout the room. Minerva looked taken aback, mouth opening and closing but no words coming out.

"Leave this piece of scum to me, Mini!"

Minerva growled, fists clenched so tight they pierced her palms. Blood trickled to the floor. I watched the drops fall as if in slow motion. _One, two, three_ …

"I told you not to call me that!" she shrieked in rage, then lunged for her father.

He easily caught her by the throat with one hand, while still keeping a firm hand pressed against my face.

"Leave this place, Minerva!" he intoned, then tossed her across the room as if she weighed no more than a pillow. She crumpled to the floor near the door, cast a murderous glare my way, then ran from the room.

As soon as she was gone, the man plucked me up by my hair and dragged me across the room. I couldn't see where he was taking me, but I heard something like water dripping from a faucet. My blood ran cold. Nothing good could come of this.

I struggled harder, and actually managed to make him lose his grip on me for a moment. I dropped to the ground, knocking my chin painfully hard, then pushed to my feet and ran.

Or I tried to, but my body was so weak and tired that I barely made it to my feet before crashing back to the floor again.

It took all of five seconds for Minerva's evil father to catch hold of me again, this time wrapping a large hand around my too-skinny arm.

"You piece of shit, human!" he growled, stomping hard now as he made his way back toward the dripping water. "Let's see how you fare with a little bath—smells like you need one."

"Fuck you, asshole!" I tried to say, but the gag muffled my voice.

Despite my struggles, he managed to lift me easily with one arm, nearly breaking it in half as he pulled it roughly, then dropped me into a large pool of water. He held my face under the surface, and I could just make out his evil smirk through the rippling water above me.

I kicked and flailed uselessly, and tried desperately to hold my breath.

 _I can outlast this bastard! I won't give in! I can pull through this, I can_ …

But my thoughts grew hazy, and I sucked in a breath, my lungs immediately filling with water. It burned through me like a flame. I tried to fight against it, willing my body not to give in now, but the water was all around me, suffocating me, and I couldn't last much longer.

Suddenly, just as blackness started to blur my vision and my body started to grow heavy, rough hands pulled me from the water.

I was dropped onto the floor, but I was only vaguely aware of what was happening. I tried to open my mouth, to scream or yell or say _something,_ but my mouth wouldn't respond. My brain wasn't connecting to my body like it should.

"...okay?" a voice was saying, though it was too distorted to really make out. A flash of white filled my vision but my eyes were hazy as though I were still peering through water.

"Is...dead?" asked another voice, this one male.

"I don't… so," came the first voice, female if I had to guess.

Finally, the gag was pulled from my mouth.

"Beat…. chest!" came the second voice, then something was knocking against my chest, hitting me. I instinctively wanted to flinch in pain, but my body was still frozen. Was I even _breathing?_

"Come on!" said the woman, still beating on my chest. "Breathe, asshole!"

A feeling of nausea suddenly swirled inside my stomach and I gagged, coughing up water and bile. Strong arms helped me to sit up, where I continued to expel water. I gasped for air, suddenly feeling more clear-headed, though still disoriented as fuck.

"Are you okay, Natsu?"

I turned my head to see Yukino staring at me with a worried expression. Behind her, a blonde-haired bastard I recognized as Sting with his brother, a black-haired bastard, stood with crossed arms, staring at me with mirrored blank expressions. They didn't look hostile, but they didn't look all that friendly, either.

"It's… a party," I managed to get out, before falling onto my back.

"Oh!" Yukino's face appeared over mine.

My vision was clouding over again, my breathing slowing considerably.

"I'm… fine… Yuki…" I gasped out, and then let the blackness pull me under.

… _._

 _Cold._

 _Wind against my face._

 _Fresh air._

 _Shouts and cries of rage or terror or both._

 _The sensation of falling, or flying._

 _Pain—excruciating pain._

 _Solid ground—dark skies._

 _Cold fingers against my face._

 _A blonde-haired angel—blood-red eyes._

 _A whispered voice—a lilting melody to my ears._

 _Then, blackness._

* * *

 **A/N: Well, there you have it! Kind of a tease, I guess, sorry about that! But anyway, let me know what you guys think! You have all been so amazing these last five chapters, I am so unbelievably thrilled! We surpassed 100 followers this week, like, that is so amazing to me! I was hoping you would all love this story as much as I love writing it, but I never expected this kind of turnout in only a few chapters. And your reviews are all so fun to read! I love how invested you all seem to be, it's really encouraging! Thank you guys so much!**

* * *

 **devo333100,** Um, does that answer your question? XD

 **PersonaUserOrpheus3245,** There is a lot of background plot on why Lucy is the way that she is, why she acts and reacts in certain ways. I spent a great deal of time coming up with her character background and figuring out the kind of person I needed her to be. Things that happened in her childhood and things that have happened since becoming a teenage Queen, all play a role in who she is today. Of course, she has many issues and she's not going to be the perfect Queen in only three years, but we will just have to see how she continues to learn and what mistakes she makes along the way. She may be a vampire, but even they're allowed their own trial and error.

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	8. Chapter 7: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Seven: Lucy**

The next morning I was woken up by someone pounding on my chamber door.

Again.

I gave a start, then scowled at the door, growling under my breath at whoever was bothering me this time.

I flashed across the room and threw open the door, casting an irritated glower on the culprit.

"S-Sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty!" Wendy bowed low, her long hair brushing the tops of her brown sandals. "The Council requests your presence in the East Corridor at once!"

I groaned and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, certain I hadn't gotten more than a couple of hours sleep, max.

"Again?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" She nodded vigorously, still bowed at the waist. "It's about the Day of Rest."

 _Ah, yes. It's the first of the month already._

"Right. Thank you, Wendy, for informing me. Do me a favor, though, and please go and fetch me something to eat. I'm famished."

"I will!" she bowed lower, then turned on her heel and hurried down the hall.

I rolled my eyes in amusement. She was something, that child.

While Wendy fetched me something to eat, I quickly bathed, dressed, and dried my long, golden locks, leaving them to flow freely down my back. I placed my tiara on my head, making sure it was straight, then stepped back to take a good look in the mirror.

My dress was a dark emerald green that hugged my body in all the right ways, falling just above my knees. The heels I wore were silver with emerald jewels along the straps that crossed over the top of each foot. They were tall and a real bitch to walk in, but they were gorgeous.

Besides my crown, the only other piece of jewelry I had on was a delicate charm bracelet with small, golden key-shaped charms with Zodiac symbols on them—my mother used to give me a new one each year for my birthday until I finally had the full set of twelve, including a rare thirteenth Zodiac key with a black snake around it.

The charms jangled when I moved my arm, which always incensed my father to no end. That was part of the reason I never left my room without it secured around my wrist, it was just another way to show him that I didn't give a crap what he thought and I was above his rules now. His opinions no longer mattered.

A few minutes later another knock sounded at my door and I hurried to open it, this time with some excitement. But my smile faded when I opened the door to reveal a particularly nasty vampire with dual-colored hair and an arrogant smirk. I glowered at him suspiciously.

"What do you want?" I asked harshly, not hiding the irritation from my tone. His smirk didn't fade as his blood-red eyes blatantly skimmed down my body, pausing at the space between my breasts.

"The little blue-haired brat sent me," he said, tone nonchalant.

I groaned. I'd have to kill that little pipsqueak later.

"Fine," I relented with a heavy sigh, pulling the door open wider. "Come in, Midnight."

He stepped inside, not even bothering to bow, the bastard. I growled in annoyance and slammed the door shut with my foot. He raised a curious eyebrow at me, which was even more annoying.

"You're the devil," I declared, folding my arms across my chest to cover it from his wandering eyes. His smirk only widened.

"Why, thank you," he said. "That is the second time a woman has given me such a high compliment."

I seethed, hands balling into tight fists. "Why would Wendy send _you?_ Surely she knows how much I despise you."

"That's cruel," he mused, almost thoughtfully.

"I swear, Midnight, if it weren't for him—"

"I would be out on my ass to burn in the sun," he finished with an amused smile. "I'm aware."

"Stop interrupting me!" I demanded. "Now, _bow_ ," my voice was a low growl that came from somewhere deep inside my throat. The command was strong, and for a moment I thought I saw him waver, knees shaking as if he would fall before me.

No such luck.

He blinked a couple of times, then let out a maniacal cackle that had me cringing.

"Bow before _you_ , a pathetic excuse for a woman? Please," he scoffed. I bared my fangs and lunged at him with insane speed. Still, he somehow managed to dodge my attack, which forced me to hastily catch myself before falling face-first into the bedpost.

I wheeled on him, growling, fangs dripping with saliva in my fury. He remained rooted to the spot, unblinking.

"I'll rip your pretty-boy head off!" I snarled. He snorted in response and rolled his eyes.

With another growl, I flashed across the room, feinting right, then catching him by surprise on his left, tackling him to the floor.

He landed hard and I pinned him there with both my body and my steely gaze, my own eyes flashing bright red as they focused on his. His pupils expanded at the unwavering command in my eyes. He chewed his lip as he fought to take back control, but this was my Queenly gaze, and there was no one, not even Makarov, who could fight against it.

" _Enough_ ," I growled, fangs still dripping. His body went completely still, immobile under my power. "Breakfast shouldn't speak," I hissed.

Once I was sure I had complete control over him, my gaze slowly lowered to his neck and the carotid artery which throbbed as if in anticipation. I ran a finger along it, and heard the Terror hiss an annoyed breath through his teeth.

"Hush!" I scolded, then lowered my mouth to his neck. My lips grazed the skin, dragging out the process just to get a rise out of him—this guy was a real nightmare—but I didn't bite down like he was expecting. Instead, I gripped his left wrist in my hands and brought it up to my mouth, sinking my teeth into the soft flesh there. He growled in response, more from irritation than pain, though. I drank quickly, taking only enough to satiate my thirst before pulling back and licking the wound clean. I gagged a little and grimaced as I straightened, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"How does it taste, _hussy_?" he sneered, emphasizing the last word.

"Like ass," I spat in return, ignoring the comment, then pushed off his chest and pointed a stern finger at the door. "Get the hell out, Night Terror."

"Such horrible hospitality," he said, not bothering to get up from my floor. I scowled. "You don't want to offer your own, unmarked neck to me?" he arched an eyebrow, then licked his lips as if in anticipation.

"Ugh, GET OUT!" I shrieked, gesturing at the door more emphatically now.

"I would, but since you've drained me, I'm just too exhausted to move. I think I'll have a cat nap before I take my leave."

That bastard actually had the nerve to close his eyes and _snore_!

I gaped, blinking at him in disbelief.

"Oh, no you don't, asshole!"

I gripped him by the shirt collar and pulled him up so that he was eye to eye with me, my own eyes reflecting a power only Queens possessed. His eyes popped open in surprise.

" _I said to get out,_ " I snarled, before throwing him across the room. He hit the wall hard before falling into a crumpled heap by the door. He snarled under his breath, but made haste pulling open the door and flashing down the hall.

"Ugh, you're dead meat, Wendy!" I growled under my breath. I straightened my dress, then followed him out the door, pulling it closed behind me.

…

The Council was in an uproar.

Again.

I sat at my usual seat, eyes narrowed at the black marble, the shine reflecting the faces of those around me, most of which were enraged. Even Erza, who normally would be on my side and have my back no matter what, was furious by my declaration.

"Absolutely not!" she exclaimed, slamming a hard fist onto the table.

"You can't possibly be serious…" Jellal had his head in his hand, shaking it in exasperation.

 _Geez, they act like I just asked them to stake me through the heart._

"There is no need to be quite so dramatic," I said, voice flat. I wasn't going to back down from this decision. This was something they could not fight against.

"Oh, just let her go," Erik, who was filling in for Laxus while he was imprisoned in the cellars, called my attention in a rare show of agreeing with me.

His mate, Kinana, sat beside him, looking like she badly wanted to say something on the matter, though I couldn't be sure as to what her opinion might be—it wasn't often that Laxus and Lilliana needed to be temporarily replaced, and I didn't see these two around the coven too often.

"It's not like she can't handle herself," Erik finished with an unconcerned shrug.

"She is our _Queen_!" Erza snarled at him. He didn't so much as blink at her show of dominance. "Her safety is our top priority!"

Erik rolled his eyes. "Please," he scoffed, "if anyone tried to abduct her, they'd just bring her annoying ass back here and beg us to take her from them."

I rolled my eyes at the comment and hid a smile. Erik was one of the most honest vampires I knew. I appreciated that he spoke his mind, not seeming to care what anyone thought. At least I knew he wouldn't bullshit me.

"That is no way to speak of your Queen!" Erza stood to her feet, slamming both hands down on the table and baring her fangs at him.

Erik smirked and made no action to move away from her glare.

"Enough," I held up a hand, stopping Erza from pouncing on the dark-haired vampire. "There is no reason to get all worked up."

"No reason to—" Erza began, but Makarov cut her off.

"My child, I fear that this is a poor decision," he told me, eyes shining with concern. "It isn't safe for you to be at the surface."

"That is a decision for _me_ to make," I argued, stubbornness and frustration leaking into my tone.

"Maybe we should put it up to a vote?" Kinana suggested in a quiet voice.

I turned a glare her way. "NO." My voice held a finality in it that left no room for argument. She flinched and looked down. "There will be no vote, and there will be no more discussion on this particular matter. I will go with the raiders to the surface. Let's move on." I slammed my hand onto the table like a gavel, making Erik flinch—he had exceptional hearing, even for a vampire. Poor guy…

"Who else will go to the surface?" I asked.

"I'll go," Erik offered. This wasn't a surprise to me. Erik almost always went with the raiders on the Day of Rest. Thanks to his exceptional hearing, he was able to detect trouble from miles away.

I nodded. "Of course. Who else should we send? I think Elfman petitioned to go as well?" I leafed through a stack of papers that sat in front of me.

"That he did," Jellal nodded in confirmation. "And Mira and Lisanna wish to accompany him as well."

I waved a hand toward him, frowning at the page in front of me, which held a list of all the coven members who'd requested to join the raiding party above. "Sure, they can go. So, that makes… five so far. Is that enough?"

"If my Queen is going above then so shall I!" Erza declared with determination.

I inwardly rolled my eyes.

 _Of course, you are, Titania_ …

"Very well," I agreed. "Will you be going as well, Jellal?" I turned toward the blue-haired vampire who had his characteristically bored/indifferent expression set in place.

"I think I'll sit this one out," he said. Erza turned a look of disbelief his way. He shrugged. "I do not wish to leave this evening; I need to finish my book."

Erza rolled her eyes and gave a dramatic sigh.

"Alright," I finished adding the names to the top sheet then handed it to Erza to pass to Makarov down the table. "That number should suffice, any more would attract too much attention."

They all nodded, though most still looked opposed to having me go above. Screw them, I hadn't been to the surface in years, certainly not since becoming Queen. Besides…. I had something urgent that I needed to take care of. The only trouble was, I needed to lose Titania Erza and the She-Vamp herself in order to accomplish my goals. And I had no idea how I was going to do that.

…

"Here we are."

Our group paused at the surface entrance, all of us tense with both excitement and apprehension as we looked at the steel trapdoor that would lead us above. I felt a wave of anxiety settling in my stomach at the matter I needed to take care of, and I still wasn't sure how I would get past Erza and Mira in order to do so. They weren't going to let me out of their sights so easily.

"Open the door," I instructed Elfman, who stood at the head of the group.

He nodded, then climbed a few rungs of the ladder that led to the trapdoor and unlatched the lock. The door creaked loudly as he pushed it open, and Erik had to cover his ears against the grating screech that came from the rusty hinges.

Once the door was open, Elfman sent down a thumbs-up, then crawled out of the opening with the rest of us close behind.

When I finally got my first taste of fresh air in _years_ , I breathed in the scent deeply. Even though I didn't technically breathe, I could still smell the freshness of the air, which was a sharp contrast to the mustiness of the coven lair below.

I fell to my knees in a patch of green grass, sparkling with silver dewdrops, and felt the cool, slightly wet strands between my fingers.

"It is rather nice to come to the surface now and then," Erza mused from beside me. The others had already taken off toward their own predetermined destinations, but, as predicted, Mira and Erza kept close to my side like informal body guards.

I ignored them both as I continued to feel the soft blades, then pressed my palms against the earth. I could almost feel it hum with the energy that the sun fed into it day after day.

"We should get going, Your Majesty," Mira suggested a moment later. I gave a low growl in response, irritated that she was interrupting my peaceful moment. "We only have a few hours…" she trailed off.

I sighed and pushed to my feet. "Let's go."

Our group had the eastern part of the forest and that was where we headed now, with Erza in the lead, Mira pulling up the rear, and me stuck in the middle like some fragile piece of china.

We ran fast, twisting through the trees with ease. Even I, who hadn't been through these woods since I was a girl, had no trouble avoiding tree trunks and ducking under low branches. It was exhilarating to run free this way—no barriers to restrict me, nothing to hold me back from running off into the world and leaving this life behind.

I gasped aloud as that thought crossed my mind. Leave my coven? No. I could never do that. This was my family! I couldn't abandon them, no matter how much they didn't see me as a fit ruler. I did my best, just as my mother had before me, and her mother before that. I couldn't leave now, not after all the time I had spent here.

I let out a sigh, and both Erza and Mira glanced at me with mirrored expressions of concern. I ignored them and picked up my pace a little. They matched me easily—they were both very fast runners, even for vampires.

The wind whipped against my face as I ran and it felt amazing. I almost wished I could stay like this, running free, with my coven at my side.

But I had a job to do, so the fun would have to end.

With insane speed, I picked up my pace yet again, to the point where I would look like no more than a blur to humans. Even a vampire would barely notice me if I sped past them. I sling-shot around a huge boulder that marked the border between Fairy Tail coven and Sabertooth coven, then shot up a tall pine tree, all the way to the top.

I paused there and kept perfectly still, eyes scanning the forest below for activity. I had gone a few good miles ahead of Erza and Mira, but it wouldn't take them long to catch up. The thing was…would they find me when they did?

There was a good chance that being so close to Sabertooth's border would mask my scent, so I hoped my gamble would pay off as I listened intently.

 _I have to find him,_ I thought determinedly. _For Levy. I have to find him…_

I waited ten minutes and neither saw nor heard anything from my coven mates. I nearly breathed a sigh of relief except, just as I was about to jump down from my perch, my ears picked up on something.

It was far away, a good mile or so—Erik would have been able to make it out clearly from five miles out—so I couldn't tell exactly what it was. I pinched my eyes shut and strained my ears, trying desperately to make out the sounds. If they were coming from Erza and Mira and I jumped down right now, they would undoubtedly hear my landing and come after me.

 _Unless…_

Acting on instinct, I leaped from the top of the tree, soaring several feet through the air before my body started to fall again. My dress fanned out around me, and if anyone had been below me just then they would have gotten quite the show.

I landed noiselessly on the grassy plain…

Beyond Sabertooth's coven border.

I crouched low, and again listened for signs that my sudden appearance had attracted any attention. Really, this was absolute suicide! It was the Day of Rest, which meant that the Sabertooth coven was most likely out prowling about as well, and if I was caught on their side of the border it wouldn't matter if I was Queen or human scum—I'd be dead in seconds.

With that in mind, I opted for staying low to the ground. I inhaled deeply, searching for the familiar scent that was Levy's pet. Instead, what crossed my nostrils was something else entirely. It wasn't anything I had smelled before, but somehow still held a familiarity in it that enticed my senses.

I breathed it in again, turning to search for it's direction.

 _Such a sweet aroma…_ I thought, almost dizzy with the overwhelming desire to locate this scent.

 _There!_

I flashed forward, running as fast as I could toward the source of the smell. My mouth watered, instincts taking over as I ran through the trees, not even paying attention to what was around me.

Finally, I came upon a small clearing and came to a sudden, halting stop, eyes going wide as saucers and mouth falling open in absolute astonishment. I took slow, tentative steps forward, stepping lightly on my now-bare toes (when had I lost my shoes?)

A boy, no more than eighteen or nineteen if I had to guess, lie face down in the dirt. His chest didn't appear to have any movement, which either meant he was dead or in transition. Either way, he definitely wasn't a vampire, not with that intoxicating scent coming off of him.

I stepped closer, then gasped. The light from the full moon shone down brightly, illuminating his sickly pale skin. Bruises and cuts, both old and new, painted nearly every inch of his skin, and his neck was covered in bites. It was sickening to see.

I used my foot to push him onto his back, then fell to my knees beside him, unable to stop myself. This pathetic human was just so… _broken_.

I reached out a hand as if to touch his swollen face, but it shook, making me hesitate and bite my lip.

 _Leave him alone, Lucy,_ I chided myself. _Don't touch him! Just go; do the job you came all the way to the surface to accomplish._

My hand seemed to move of its own accord, ignoring the warning and reaching out for this broken human boy. My fingers pushed aside the long strands of hair that covered his eyes, then finally touched the skin of his cheek and softly cupped his face. He was so cold already, there was no way he was even still alive, but just as I thought that, his eyes fluttered to reveal dark irises, slightly glazed over. My own eyes widened in surprise.

"You're alive," I murmured in relief. A ghost of a smile touched his lips, before his eyes fell shut once more, and his head went slack.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so some of you have expressed your dislike of Lucy in reviews or with each other, and while I encourage you all to invest in these characters in your own way, I don't appreciate being bullied. This is a story, Lucy is a character. Yes, she's having some personal issues right now, and yes she may seem like a spoiled bitch or whatever, but that's part of the story, that's part of who she is. The person she has become is a result of how she was brought up in this specific universe. I will, of course, go into more details about her past in later chapters, but for now I'd appreciate if everyone would keep the reviews civilized. That's all I ask. Thank you for reading, and I hope you continue to do so! There is much more in store for you guys.**

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 **Rinthewolf,** Thank you for your support! That's very sweet of you! I really appreciate it. I'm sorry someone is bullying you for it, though!

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	9. Chapter 8: Natsu

**A/N: I hope you guys got this chapter, it doesn't seem to be going through correctly. I apologize to those who did not receive an email notification! I even deleted it and reposted and it still didn't email me, so I don't know what else to do. Hopefully, you guys check in since it's Mondy XD Have a great day, you all! —Stele.**

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Eight: Natsu**

 _I have the vague sense of flying; my body weightless as it soars through the trees. My eyes are hazy when I try to open them and all I can see is a blur of green, like grass beneath my feet, or the tops of trees from high above. It's dizzying, so I let my eyes fall closed._

 _I groan as a faint sense of nausea starts to well up inside of me, though I try to push it down, ignore it, and continue flying._

 _Wait, how am I flying? Am I dead? Perhaps Minerva's father really did kill me and I had just imagined getting saved in the nick of time._

No…her face…

 _I remember the angel that stood above me, the angel with bright red eyes. Who was she? Where had she gone?_

 _I just…need…to find…_

…

 _It's the pain that wakes me, the overwhelming sensation that my body is on fire. Somebody needs to put out the flames, but when I try to call out for help, my body won't respond. I can't move, can't speak. I'm not even sure that I'm still breathing. I just…am._

 _That weightless feeling is gone, replaced by a heaviness that makes my body feel like lead. I lie on a hard surface, a floor maybe, but I can't open my eyes to see anything to know for sure. I don't feel the wind anymore, so I must not be flying now. Did I crash into hell already? Surely heaven doesn't feel this painful._

 _Something is touching me, I can feel it. It dances across my bare skin, lightly grazing the surface. It's cold, whatever it is. It pokes and prods certain areas that make me want to cry out in agony, but I can't open my mouth to scream._

 _Wait… I know this feeling. It isn't a_ thing _at all, it's a_ someone _. Fingers. They trail up my chest to my neck, where they lightly knead the marred surface of all the bite marks I've accumulated in three years. Something like a sharp intake of breath as the fingers graze the bite Minerva's father gave me. I know that's the one because it hurts worse than the others—this one was never sealed like Minerva's and Yukino's were._

 _Frosty lips travel along the wound, and then a warm tongue flicks out and slides along the area._

"So… broken…"

 _A woman's voice trails down to me, just a breath against my skin, and I barely catch the words in my foggy state. They sound pitying, or sad, like she feels bad for me. Why would she feel that way? What does she see when she looks at me?_

"Come on," _her voice is insistent. Her hands push against my chest roughly, as if trying to rouse me. But I am already awake, doesn't she see that? No. I guess she wouldn't._ "Wake… human!" _She slams her fists into my chest, and I feel my heart thump in return. A pause. Then she repeats the action until she is hitting me again and again, crying out in frustration each time a fist makes contact._

 _Just as I feel my heart give another weak thump, my vision starts to go black yet again._

…

"...be okay!"

Huh?

 _The female voice brings me back with a start and suddenly I can hear again, though I still cannot move my limbs. My heart beats a steady rhythm inside my chest now, and the fire that once burned through me has faded significantly, though not entirely._

"D… know?" _her delicious voice asks me. I savor the way her words sound to my ears._

Wait, what?

"Op… your eyes!" _She's all but shouting at me. I can't obey her, even though every instinct in my body is begging me to open my eyes and gaze upon her. Is she my angel? Has she saved me from death's door? Has she saved me from hell?_

"Urgh!" _she heaves a frustrated groan and slams another fist into my chest._ "Come—on… up!"

 _Cool hands slide across my cheek bones and I feel my body take a deep, shuddering breath in response to it. Fingers gently pull back my eyelids, and for a moment I can actually see. Even though I can't move my eyes or any other part of me, I can still see her kneeling before me. Her face is that of an angel, with golden hair that falls down her shoulders and brushes the skin of my chest and neck. Her eyes are a deep chocolate brown ringed in red._

 _I think my heart stops beating again when I finally realize that this woman is no angel at all… she's a demon—a bloodthirsty vampire._

 _When her fingers leave my face, I let the blackness pull me back under._

…

Shoes clacked loudly against the floor, pulling me from that blackness once again. It sounded like those strappy shoes with the little stakes women call 'heels' at the end. I just thought they were annoying.

Someone was pacing.

Groggily, I tried to peel open my eyelids and was surprised when they actually opened this time. A dimly lit room opened up before me. A dark red curtain hung above me, falling down like a net around the sides of dark wooden posts.

A bed. I was lying on a bed. If this was hell, I wasn't about to complain.

Something throbbed against my skull, like the beginning of a migraine, making me groan. The clacking stopped for a moment, then continued, getting louder as they came in my direction. I quickly closed my eyes and feigned sleep, suddenly afraid of what this person would want with me.

"I know you're awake," a female voice said, sounding flat and unamused.

 _No, not just any female,_ I realized, _that's_ her _voice._

I sighed and peeked open one eye. Her face materialized as if from a dream, looking equally angelic and sinister.

"You're alive." Her tone was almost accusatory as she stared down at me with those red-ringed eyes, expression indifferent.

"Yeah," I choked out, voice hoarse. "Sorry about that."

She blinked, surprised maybe?

"Don't apologize for breathing, idiot," she chided me, eyes narrowing as she took me in.

 _Okay…_

"Where am I?" I asked, ignoring the chastisement and turning my gaze away from her cold eyes to scan the room—or what I could see of it from my current position. Shifting slightly, I could feel fabric constricting my movements.

 _Clothes_ , I realized a moment later. I had clothes on, clothes that weren't too big or too small. These felt like they were made for me.

 _Weird…_

"You're in my bedchamber," she replied curtly. I arched an eyebrow at that. "Don't give me that look, it's not like that." She rolled her eyes, then turned her back on me, miniature stakes clacking against the floor as she walked across the room and out of my sight. I listened, and could just make out the sound of a drawer opening, some rummaging around, then closing before the clacking sound continued back in my direction.

From the corner of my eye I watched her as she laid out some things on a nearby table: a roll of gauze, some kind of medical ointment, and a needle.

I gulped at that last one, and watched with apprehension as she filled it with some kind of gooey white liquid, then tapped the side of it to get the bubbles out.

She turned back to me, face still blank of any emotions.

"Hold still," she instructed me.

My eyes bugged. "No way in hell!" I tried to pull away from her, but she pinned my left arm down and had the needle in and out of my vein before I could even so much as blink.

"That was… so… cruel…" my voice trailed off as sleep overtook me.

…

When I woke again I was no longer in the cozy bed, and the demon/angel/thing was nowhere to be seen.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and tried to adjust to the faint light coming from under the door a few feet away. I couldn't tell exactly where I was, but the surface I lay on was hard and cool, like that of the Sabertooth cell I had lived in for so long.

Ice shot through me at the thought. Was that where I was? Had they simply locked me up in a different cell to keep that bastard from killing me? I wasn't sure if I should be grateful or not to the change in scenery, especially since the last cell I had been in at least had more light. Although, this one felt a lot drier, so I guessed that was a bonus.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position, groaning when my head throbbed painfully in protest, then tried to get my bearings.

The floor was hard, but it wasn't the jagged rock my last cell had been, it was flat, even, and cool to the touch. It was dry, though, and warm where I had lain.

I could just make out dark walls around me and could see just enough to know that this room wasn't as big as my last. I had been downgraded, it figured.

Something flashed in my mind; lips on my neck, a warm tongue…

Hesitantly, I brought a hand up to my neck and let my fingers feel the smooth surface of skin. A gasp escaped me when I didn't immediately feel jagged bite marks there. How was that even possible? My neck hadn't been smooth for years…

Something suddenly pierced my skull and I grunted in pain, holding my hands up to my head, which felt like it was about to explode.

" _Help me, Sting! We have to get him out of here!"_

Images and voices flashed through my mind.

" _Remind me why we're letting your human dog off his leash?"_ Blonde hair, pissed off expression.

" _Because, brother, it is the right thing to do. M'lady will surely end his life if—"_

I groaned as the scene abruptly shifted.

" _We can't just_ leave _him there!"_

Green grass. Black skies.

" _We have to, Yuki, if M'lady finds out we were outside without her permission, she'll kill us all."_

" _Sting is right, we must make haste. Leave the boy here where he has a chance at freedom."_

" _If he even lives…"_

Yukino's face, dripping with tears.

" _There are some fates that are worse than death, Yukino."_

"Nngah!" I cried out as the images and bits of conversation flooded my mind in the most painful way, each one like a knife slicing through a piece of my skull.

I vaguely heard the door slam open, but I had my head buried in my hands, teeth gritted together and eyes pinched shut, so I didn't see whoever had entered.

My breathing came out in ragged gasps, and I was pretty sure I was whimpering like a huge fucking wimp.

"Shit!"

Cool hands were on my face, tilting it up. I ignored the prodding hands that tried to peel my eyes open and heard a growl in response.

"Stop fighting me, boy!" _her_ voice, my angel—

 _No! Not angel—vampire. Get it through your thick skull! She is a bloodsucking demon!_

"I'm trying to help you, idiot!" she snapped, but I was beyond caring as the pain in my head intensified so greatly that I was sure I would pass out again. I welcomed the release of pain that would come when my mind fell into that blackness. Unfortunately, I stayed fully alert.

"Dammit!" she screeched, then I felt her hands leave my face and a faint brush of wind. A moment later I was being pushed onto my back and something—or some _one_ —resting against my hips. Something sharp pierced the skin just inside my elbow and I cried out again, but my cries quickly faded as the pain inside my head lessened.

"Ah," I let out a soft sigh of relief as the fire left my body at last. "Thanks," I whispered, and felt her jerk in surprise. "What's…wrong…with me?" I asked after a moment of silence, voice coming out slow, lazy.

"You were dead," she stated in a flat tone, as if that explained everything.

"I felt dead…" I mused, eyes still shut.

"You should've been." Her voice a harsh snap, like a whip. I flinched slightly at the sound of it, then relaxed again.

"You're right," I agreed a moment later, "but my body won't die that easily."

"That is a ridiculous thing to say."

Her weight left my body, an insignificant change, really, as her weight had been feather light.

I chuckled at her miffed tone. "Sorry, babe, I'm…all out of…smart things to say." I cleared my throat, trying to pull my head out of whatever weird stupor it was in so I could stop talking like a complete idiot.

"Very amusing," she replied dryly. "You better watch yourself, human, or you're going to be in even more pain."

"Is that a threat?" I asked, opening my eyes to glare at her.

She didn't look fazed in the least, which was interesting. Most of the vamps I knew would get heated by even the slightest comment.

"No, it's not. It's a warning for your health. You wish to live, don't you?"

I eyed her warily, wondering what kind of sick trick this was. Did I want to live, _humph_. What a ridiculous notion.

"Well, I guess I could stick around for a while longer, if only to serve as eye candy." I sent her a wink, but she didn't react. Her face remained devoid of emotion. Maybe she was just one of those vamps who didn't feel like others did. I would say Minerva was one of those, except she clearly felt some insane hatred, at least toward me.

"What were you doing over at Sabertooth?" she asked abruptly, tone careful, as if reluctant to ask. A vampire asking questions of _me,_ how ridiculous was that? I tried not to scoff at the thought.

"Probably the same thing I'm doing here," I replied curtly. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she otherwise gave no response to my answer.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she otherwise gave no response to my answer.

My eyes wandered of their own volition, shifting down her face to her pink lips, which were set in a hard line. Down the base of her throat, which was unmarked and unbitten. Down to that curve between her breasts—and what large, full breasts she had—farther still, down the length of her black, silk gown, which clung to slender legs, barely brushing the tops of her thighs. Her legs were long and smooth and toned, but in all the right ways. Her feet were bare. My gaze slowly shifted back up to her face, past the arms that were folded across her large bust, to eyes which now scowled at me. Her golden hair was slightly mussed, and a silver tiara sat crookedly atop her head, the only indication that this woman was Queen.

I felt my blood run cold at that realization, and when I finally met her gaze again I could almost swear there was a knowing glint in them.

"So…" I began casually, "you're the Big Bad around these parts, huh?"

Her gaze remained unblinking.

"I am Queen Lucy," she corrected me in a monotone.

I arched an eyebrow. I didn't expect her to offer up her name so easily. Then again, most things about this woman were not what I had expected.

"Well, nice to meet you, _Your Majesty_ ," I replied sarcastically.

She blinked, but her gaze remained indifferent besides the faint scowl still set on her lips—not that I was staring at her lips because that would have been weird.

"I have a question for you, Lucy," I said after another long moment. She raised an eyebrow, waiting. I hesitated. I shouldn't have even bothered; it wasn't like she was going to tell me the truth anyway. Still…I had to at least try. "Why _am_ I here?"

Her eyes, chocolate brown rimmed in blood, flicked between mine as if searching for something, though what that could possibly be I had no idea.

Finally, she spoke. "You were dying." she stated, yet again in that matter-of-fact tone. "I brought you here to save your pathetic human life. That's all."

Then she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

I snorted a laugh. Well, she was interesting for a bloodsucker, I'd give her that, and… There was something about her that enthralled me. I couldn't say exactly what it was, but I wasn't afraid of her like I had been of Minerva. Lucy…her very being seemed to call out to me. Why?

" _Lucy…_ " I whispered the name, and it felt sweet on my lips.

I took a deep breath and suddenly felt very tired. I remembered the needle she had pierced my skin with several minutes ago and scowled.

"So you did… drug me… Luuuusshhii…"

* * *

 **A/N: You guys are seriously amazing. The amount of support and encouragement I got for my last chapter is staggering. I shouldn't have expected anything less from you guys, you are all super good to me! I can't express how much I appreciate all the kind words I have received. I feel one-thousand times better, now that I know everyone doesn't despise my characters. When I first started plotting this story, I really wanted to explore the more dominant side of Lucy, and show that she, and all women of Fairy Tail, are just as badass as the men, maybe even more so! I love the idea of a monarchy and women being in control. It is not something you see too often, especially with Lucy, who is often depicted as some helpless lamb. And those of you who said her personality in this story is stemmed from her past, are absolutely correct. A lot of that will be explained in later chapters. I try to include little snippets of memory here and there to show why our protagonists are the way they are and how they got to where they are now.**

 **Again, thank you so much for all the support, it's so encouraging to see all of your reviews.**

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	10. Chapter 9: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Nine: Lucy**

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"

I paced the floor of my bedroom, hands tangled in my hair, seconds away from pulling out the strands with how damn frustrated I was.

 _How could you be so stupid, Lucy?!_ I silently screamed. A human. Inside the coven walls. Inside my _bedchamber._ If anyone found out what I was doing… I'd get a stake through the heart for sure.

"Gah!" I slammed a fist into the wall. Plaster fell down from a small, baseball-sized hole where my fist had gone through. "Damn." I brushed plaster dust from my knuckles before resuming my pacing.

What the hell was I going to do now? Hadn't I _just_ lectured Levy about bringing human pets into the coven? I was such a damn hypocrite! Maybe I should just let them stake me… It was the least I deserved.

"What do I do?" I muttered aloud. "I can't just let him go, now he knows where my coven is." Besides, it would be nearly impossible to sneak him out of here, especially with Laxus' minions spying on the surface entrance. I could see them wandering around the corridor that led to the entrance, trying to be sly about it. It was either dumb luck or coincidence that I had somehow managed to sneak this boy in without anyone's detection. It helped that it was the Day of Rest, and most everyone had been busy doing other things, but I still called it close.

 _You won't be able to hide him here forever,_ a voice inside my head warned. I growled in response to the unwelcome thought. I needed to come up with a plan and fast. I couldn't keep him locked up in my bedroom for long, sooner or later someone would come looking for me and when they saw a human pet sitting prisoner in my chambers…

I shuddered to think what would become of me.

Another thought crossed my mind then, one that gave me pause, making me come to an abrupt stop in the middle of my room. I mulled it over in my mind for a few moments, trying to figure out how to best take care of this.

Finally, I had an idea. Without so much as a second to put shoes on, I threw open the door to my bedroom and then closed and locked it behind me before racing off down the hall at lightning speed. It was late, so there was a good chance I wouldn't run into anyone, but that was never a guarantee when you were Queen and everyone wanted your attention at the worst possible times.

Fortunately, I was able to complete my task and make it back to my room without incident– which was good, seeing as I undoubtedly looked like a raving lunatic at the time.

I threw open the door to the spare room, and light from my bedroom flooded the space in an instant. The human still lay out on the floor, snoring softly. Good, that meant the drugs I'd given him were still in effect.

I stepped inside and made quick work attaching a pair of metal shackles to the wall, then securing them around his wrists, all in less than five minutes. I was done and out the door before he even stirred.

 _There_. That took care of that problem. I couldn't have him escaping when the medicine wore off.

"You're such a horrible person!" I chided myself, flopping onto my bed and burying my face in a pillow.

Abducting humans.

Holding them prisoner.

Chaining them to the wall.

I was the worst kind of vampire there was.

 _Then again_ …

Those bite marks. Someone had obviously been snacking on him long before I got ahold of him. Many times by the way his neck had looked. All those scars across his chest and back… so many marks. How long had he been Sabertooth's prisoner? It was too horrible to even think about.

A groan from the human had me leaping out of bed in an instant, but when I flung open the door I could see he was still asleep, face contorted as if he were having some nightmare.

 _Probably reliving moments from imprisonment._

The thought weighed heavily upon me as I watched him groaning in mental agony, occasionally scratching furiously at his neck. Tears pricked my eyes at how helpless he looked just then and I had the sudden urge to do something about it, but what could I possibly do to help alleviate some of his suffering? What could I do to make any of this okay again?

"Nothing," I muttered aloud. There was absolutely nothing I could do to right this terrible situation, except sit here and endure the pain with him.

So that's exactly what I did.

I stayed there, leaning against the doorframe, watching him sleep until I could feel the sun finally making its descent across the horizon. I inhaled deeply, wanting to get a sense of the time, but instead, I only got a lungful of human.

 _Sweet Mavis…_ I thought, closing my eyes and inhaling the scent again. _His scent is most intoxicating._

My mouth watered and I had the suddenly overwhelming desire to taste his blood for myself.

That thought was enough to slap me out of my stupor. I gave a squeak of surprise, sounding more like a little girl than a Queen, and flashed out of the room, slamming the door behind me as I went, and not caring if it woke the stupid human.

 _You are so dead,_ I thought. I couldn't feed on him, what was wrong with me?! There was no way no one wouldn't notice his scent if it was coursing through my veins along with my own.

 _Such a sweet, spicy scent it is… like cinnamon and honey._

I gritted my teeth together and stopped breathing in the scent. I couldn't go there; there would be no turning back from that.

…

Some hours later, I was calling up for room service. I wasn't in any state to go downstairs and deal with any of the others—surely they would see right through my indifferent façade…

When the knock came, signaling that my food had arrived—actual food this time, not a feeder—I instructed whoever it was to leave it outside the door for me.

"Come on, Lucy." Gray's voice. "Won't you let me come in? You've been locked in your room since you came back from the surface. Did something happen or—"

"Shut up, Gray, and leave me alone!" I snapped harshly, feeling only a little bad that I was snapping at one of my good friends.

I heard a deep sigh, then the sound of a tray being lowered to the ground. I waited until the sound of his footsteps had faded and his scent was gone before finally opening the door a crack. I saw no one on the other side—which wasn't a surprise seeing as I had this whole corridor to myself—so I snatched up the tray with one hand, slammed the door shut with the other, and twisted the lock.

I looked over the contents of the tray as I walked: eggs, bacon, french toast slathered in butter and syrup, a glass of milk, and a small mug of coffee, black. The smell of the cinnamon was almost too much to bear, so I decided not to breathe it in at all—there was no need for me to breathe anyway.

I pushed open the door to his room and found him sitting up against the wall, eyes widening in surprise when I entered, then narrowing at the tray in my hand. I worked to keep my face blank as I walked across the room and placed the tray in front of him. He glanced at it, then at me, then back at the tray.

"What's this about?" he asked warily, eyeing the food with hungry eyes. I was certain his mouth was watering almost as badly as mine was, though mine had nothing to do with the french toast.

I frowned. "What do you mean? It's food."

"Yeah," he agreed in a careful tone, "but why is it here?"

"What kind of ridiculous question is that?" I asked, feeling agitation start to sweep over me and working hard to hold it at bay. "It's food. Don't you eat?"

"Yes… but it's french toast. And bacon."

"And?" I wasn't getting it. What was he so confused about? It was breakfast time, he needed to eat, so I brought food. What was so strange about that?

"I've… never gotten this kind of food from a bloodsucker before."

I blanched at his use of pronoun. Was that really what he thought of us? Just bloodthirsty monsters?

 _Who is the one salivating in the doorway over the scent of his blood?_

Right.

"Well, if you don't want it…" I made to grab the tray, but he snatched it back and started digging in without another word.

I tried not to stare, but it was just so heart-wrenching. Now I understood why he was so hesitant at first. When he had been held at Sabertooth, they must have given him just enough to survive, and even that was probably just tasteless gruel.

"I'll get you another tray," I decided, then fled the room before he had a chance to respond.

Five minutes later, a fresh tray showed up at my door, but whoever brought it didn't bother calling out to me when I told them to leave the tray by the door. If they thought it was strange that I was ordering two trays when I normally couldn't even finish off one, they didn't say.

I brought the second tray in and replaced it with his now-empty one, trying to ignore the fact that he was eyeing me curiously. I turned to leave after that, but he called out, stopping me in my tracks.

"Natsu," he said quietly. I turned back to him.

"What?"

"My name," he pointed at himself with a strip of bacon, eyes locked on mine, and it was the first time I noticed just how green they were, "it's Natsu."

 _Natsu… What a strange name, yet it fits him so well. He looks like a Natsu._

"I didn't ask for your name," I replied tersely, then promptly left the room, leaving him there gaping in surprise.

I was being a huge bitch, but I couldn't have him thinking that I liked him or something, that was just absurd. Let him think that I was just as cold-hearted as the other vampires he knew. It was better that way.

…

I spent the majority of that day fighting sleep and pacing about my room as a way to hold back the exhaustion that came from not sleeping all night. Not that that was different from most nights; I never seemed to get enough rest. There was always something going on.

When no one came to summon me to a Council meeting by the time late afternoon rolled around, I decided a nap was necessary, so I settled into my blankets and was just about to doze off when I heard it.

 _Shifting. Groaning._

I sighed and opened my eyes.

 _Suck my life._

I slipped from bed and didn't even bother grabbing my tiara from the nightstand—this human didn't care if I wore it or not—then threw open the door and fixed him with a glare. He looked uncomfortable, though something told me that had nothing to do with my steely expression.

"What are you moaning and groaning about in here?" I demanded, thoroughly irritated that he had unknowingly interrupted my nap.

"S-Sorry," he stuttered out, still fidgeting, "but I really need to use a bucket."

I blinked.

"A… bucket?" I repeated. _What the hell for_?

"Yeah, like, I gotta piss."

If I wasn't dead, I would have blushed scarlet.

"Oh," I said, the realization hitting me like a blow to the face. "Why didn't you just say so?"

I left the room and tried to think of a quick solution to this problem. I had a bathroom in my bedchamber, of course, but reaching it would mean unshackling him and taking him through my bedroom… and I didn't trust him not to try to escape once he was unchained.

However… if he had spent the last Mavis-only-knew-how-long using a damn bucket, then he definitely didn't need to continue doing that. He'd gone through enough as it was.

With a heavy sigh, I finally came to a decision and walked back into the room. He eyed me, searching for the bucket I was supposed to be fetching.

"Where—?"

"Do I look like someone who wants to clean out a bucket of urine?" I cut him off, snapping a little so it sounded like he was seriously putting me out by this.

"Uh…" Now he looked simply confounded. The poor boy probably thought I was going to make him use his pants.

"If you try to run," I began in a threatening tone, "I will rip your pathetic human head off. Is that clear?" I raised both eyebrows, hands on hips as I waited for him to say something.

"Er… what do you mean?"

Instead of answering his question, I strode across the room and began to unclasp the shackles from his wrists. His expression of absolute astonishment was almost amusing, had I not been inwardly shaking like a leaf that I was all but setting him free.

"Come on," I gripped a wrist in my hand and tugged him up. He swayed on his feet, and I had to catch him before he fell right back to the ground.

"Sorry…" he whispered. "Guess I'm still a little druggy." A pointed look in my direction.

 _Ouch._

That idiot didn't know that those drugs were the only things that'd saved his damn life. It wasn't my fault they also made you drowsy.

When he could stand, though he was still obviously a little off-balance, I led him through my room and into an adjoining bathroom.

"There are no windows," I said, as if that weren't already perfectly obvious. "And we're a mile below ground, so if you try to dig yourself out it's going to be a long trip." Then I turned and left the room without another word. I didn't think there was anything in there that he could really use to kill me with, if he even had the guts to try (especially with how weak he still was) so I figured it was safe enough to just wait outside the door.

When the toilet flushed, I waited another few seconds before opening the door to see him standing in the exact position I'd left him, only now he wasn't squirming like a small child.

"Better?" I asked flatly. He nodded, and I led him back to the room, securing the shackles back around his wrists before turning around and leaving once more. Just as the door clicked shut and the lock slid into place, I barely made out his whisper.

"Thank you."

* * *

 **Crimsonlink310,** Reading through your review, I can see that you have some very good points here, some reason for concern even, though I do think that the majority of what you are concerned about will be answered in later chapters.

About Natsu being too trusting: there is actually a reason for that, though I am unsure whether or not the answer will suffice for you, but that is how I wanted it to be for this story to progress the way I needed it to.

As far as Natsu's horrible conditions at Sabertooth and why his poor soul hasn't just died, there is an answer for that as well, rest assured!

Okay, your next point is something that, at this point in the story, has kind of been overlooked, but I do go into further detail about his past and his progression as a character as well. It is a fault on my part that I did not focus more on him rather than the other Sabertooth members, I actually did not even realize this until you pointed it out. I may have to go back and rewrite some things in the next few chapters. Thank you for pointing that out.

Um, I have no excuse for this, other than Yukino made them help Natsu because she is sympathetic. The others don't really care if Natsu lives or dies, but they are loyal to Yukino, something that does not really get explained because the story focuses more on Lucy and Natsu than on anyone else. I might actually go into that more, later on, but for now, that is basically the reason they got "sympathetic". I hope this answer appeases you, if not, hopefully as the story progresses you will see what I am getting at.

Thank you, Crimson, for the critique and compliment! I do hope you continue to read.

 **Everyone Else,** I swear, I read each and every single one of your reviews! I love to see your thoughts and opinions and reactions to certain things, it's really fun for me! I know in the past I have replied to each comment individually, but for this story I am only replying to questions or concerns, such as with Crimson who had a lot to say haha. But honestly, I do read everyones comments and I love them all. Please do not feel excluded in the least! I notice the ones who comment every chapter, and those who simply pop in every now and then. You are all cherished. Thank you!

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	11. Chapter 10: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Ten: Natsu**

 _I am in a dark room. There is no light, no sounds, no air. I feel as if I'll suffocate at any moment, my lungs clenching tightly, straining for air that they can't find. They are burning with a fire that is unlike any other, burning so hot that I'm sure my skin will fall apart and I'll be left as nothing more than a skeleton, until that, too, turns to ash._

 _I cry out one last time as my lungs shrivel up inside of me, and the fire starts to spread across my skin._

"Hey! Wake up!" Something was shaking me, pulling me out of that dream, or memory, I couldn't remember. "Natsu! Wake the hell up!"

 _Natsu. Right. My name._

I gave a start of surprise, eyes flying open, wildly flicking about the room until they landed on the blonde kneeling in front of me. Her hair was damp like she'd just taken a shower, and smelled faintly floral, with just a touch of fruity sweetness. She had one hand clamped around my upper arm, presumably where the shaking was coming from, and one hand clutched tightly around… a very thin towel.

I blinked my eyes in confusion, wondering why a towel-clad vampire was kneeling beside me in the middle of the night. Instead of letting my confusion best me, I let a cocky grin slowly make its way onto my lips.

"Already? But I haven't even bought you dinner yet."

She frowned and blinked at me in confusion for a moment, not understanding my words. Then she got it and her eyes narrowed.

"Very funny," she deadpanned.

I noticed that she still hadn't moved and her close proximity was starting to make me uncomfortable. Not because I was disgusted by her; quite the opposite. The smell of her hair, the coolness of her hand with those long, slender fingers wrapped around my arm, her eyes, a gorgeous chocolate brown, though ringed in red, still held a certain beauty as they were locked on mine. And, she was just plain beautiful.

 _Fuck,_ I thought, as my mind started to take a turn for the worst. _Don't even go there, Natsu. So what if she's hot? That's no excuse to forget the fact that she's a demon from hell. And, she's holding your ass prisoner, in case you forgot!_

"So…" I cleared my throat. "You shower. Big improvement."

Okay, not my best joke, but I was a little flustered at the moment.

Her eyes shot daggers through mine and she stood with a huff of indignation.

"You're the one who needs the improvement," she told me haughtily, clutching the towel tighter around her chest. I tried—dear God I tried—not to notice how much of her skin was exposed. Her legs were long and slim and toned, and absolutely flawless.

"What are you staring at?" she demanded, glaring down at me where I still sat on the floor. "Never mind," she cut me off before I could respond, waving a dismissive hand. "I can't possibly put up with your stench another day. It's your turn to shower."

I stared at her, completely dumbfounded, jaw practically touching the floor.

"What? Don't tell me you've never showered before," she rolled her eyes.

"I… have," I said carefully, "just not in several years…"

Now Lucy was the one to look taken aback.

" _Years?_ " she repeated in disbelief. I shrugged. "Wow, well…" she trailed off, probably not knowing what to say to that. I didn't really blame her, sometimes I couldn't believe it myself. "No wonder you smell so foul."

I scowled. "Like that's _my_ fault," I grumbled.

She almost, _almost_ smiled. Her lips twitched, and I thought for sure I'd get some kind of smile, but then her lips pressed together into a hard line and she turned her back to me.

"Well. Now, you will." She left the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Okay…" That wasn't weird at all.

I half expected her to bring me a bucket and cold water, like Yukino used to, instead, not five minutes later, Lucy came back into the room, holding a sunny yellow towel and a change of clothes, both of which she chucked at me as she made her way into the room. I stared at the pile in my arms in confusion.

Lucy gave a pointed sigh from where she stood over me, and I glanced up to see an expectant look on her face. "If you don't like the clothes, I can't help you," she said, forcing a haughty tone, though her eyes didn't reflect this. I narrowed my eyes, scrutinizing her face for a moment. She looked like she was trying really hard to look annoyed, but her eyes… they looked wary, like she was worried I might reject her offering.

I nearly snorted. Like hell would I reject clean clothes and a shower.

"These are fine," I said after a moment. She nodded, then started to undo the clasps around my wrists. My eyes automatically wandered down, where her dark purple blouse pushed up her breasts and made them look even bigger than usual. It was a good choice if she wanted to seduce me, I had to admit.

 _Smack!_

I blinked in surprise and held a hand up to my stinging cheek. When I glanced back up, I saw Lucy glaring down at me, the reds in her eyes like little laser beams that shot straight through my skull.

 _Busted._

"Pervert!" she shouted. I grinned sheepishly back at her. She scowled. "Come on, before I die from your horrid stench."

"Oh, is that all it takes?" I mumbled under my breath. Not low enough…

She flew at me so fast I didn't even see it coming until my back slammed against the wall. "Be silent, pet," she snarled, red-rimmed eyes pinned on mine with an intensity I recognized from my stay at Sabertooth.

 _Stay._ Like it was some kind of hotel.

"So… am I gonna get a shower, or what?" I asked, feigning boredom like she was seriously putting me out. Really, I just wanted to see if I was about to get some actual running water, or if she really was about to bring me a bucket. Who knew, maybe her idea of a shower was her dumping an ice cold bucket of suds over the top of my head and calling it good. Either way, at least I got clean smelling clothes out of the deal.

 _Which reminds me…_

"Hey," I cut her off just as she was about to reply to my question. She closed her mouth and settled for a scowl. "Whose clothes are these?" I gestured at the pile in my hands. She glanced down at them and frowned like she couldn't remember giving them to me.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"These clothes belonged to someone once, didn't they?"

"No, they're yours." Her frown deepened. Now I was confused. Or,

Now I was confused. Or, _more_ confused.

"Mine?"

She nodded. "Did you really think I was going to give you the clothes off of someone's back?" Her tone suggested that this was an idiotic thought. Now I scowled.

Now I scowled.

"That's not what I meant," I grumbled.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, you thought I stole them from someone. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but even I'm not that cruel. They're perfectly clean and new, which you'd know if you'd bother to look at the tags. Honestly," she shook her head pityingly at my befuddled expression, "you're so dense it kills me."

That was another setup, but I decided not to make another jibe, lest I lose my showering privilege. I stayed quiet, even though I had about a hundred questions flooding through my brain at the moment, like; why the hell was I getting brand new clothes? (nice ones, too, by the looks of them) and why was she still straddling my lap?

"Come on," she pushed herself off of me, then leaned over to unclasp the metal shackles. My wrists appreciated the break from the uncomfortable metal, and my eyes appreciated the view of her deep cleavage as she worked my wrists free. "There," she stood then turned her back on me, heading across the room and out the door.

Presuming I was to follow, I hastily got to my feet and hurried to catch up to her. I found her standing by the bathroom I had used earlier (or maybe it was yesterday, I didn't remember), tapping her foot as if she'd been waiting around for me for hours. I rolled my eyes as I made my way over to her. I thought about taking my sweet time, just to piss her off, but the prospect of a shower and actually being clean was too much to pass up.

"Shower's in there," was all she said, before folding her arms across her chest and staring blankly ahead.

 _Is she really just going to_ stand _there?_ I wondered, but finally shrugged and stepped inside, closing the door behind me as I did. I half expected her to burst inside and demand that she stand and watch, but she remained outside the door.

Shrugging, I turned on the water in the shower, then began removing my clothes so that I could make use of however much time I had. She hadn't specified a time limit, so I couldn't waste time standing around thinking.

I tossed my clothes in a pile on the floor, then took a deep breath before finally stepping into the impressively large shower. When the water hit my bare skin, I gave a jerk of surprise. It was hot, hotter than I'd ever experienced, even before I had been kidnapped by vampires. It scalded my skin, but I didn't care. I took it in, letting it flow over my body, relishing in the feel of clean, flowing water cascading over my body.

"Mmm." I couldn't help the small sound of pleasure that escaped me, I hadn't been so damn _warm_ in a very long time.

After a few minutes of just standing under the hot stream, I opened my eyes and scanned the walls for something to wash with. There was an array of soaps, shampoos, hair products, face washes, and a bunch of other shit I couldn't even guess was used for. I blinked at all the bottles, wondering which ones I should use. She hadn't told me what to wash with…

"Whatever."

I grabbed a bottle at random, some lavender/honey mix shampoo thing, and squirted some into my hand before working it into my hair. It had a nice scent to it, so I decided that had been a good choice.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind, one that had me grinning like a madman. I thought for a moment, trying to think of the best possible one…

Then, I began to sing.

"' _I'm a vampire, babe, suckin' blood from the earth. I'm a vampire, baby, suckin' blood from the earth! Well, I'm a vampire, babe, sell you twenty barrels worth'_!" I sang out, loudly and obnoxiously so, not even trying to match the tone of the song. _Vampire Blues_ by Neil Young. I snickered to myself at how damn clever that song choice had been, then went through my mental list of songs I could remember from before.

 _Ah, I've got one for ya, Lucy._

"' _I'm on the highway to hell! On the highway to hell! Highway to hell! I'm on the highway to heeeeeeelll!'"_ I let the last note drag out, just to be extra obnoxious, and could just picture her face scrunching up with frustration and irritation. It made me laugh out loud as I rinsed the soap from my hair.

As I began rubbing soap along my body, using her scrub brush, I might add, I began belting out another tune.

"' _Who let the dogs out-!"_ I began, but before I could even utter the next phrase, the bathroom door slammed open, cracking loudly against the wall behind it. I jumped in surprise.

"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP?!" she shrieked at me through the closed shower door. I froze, waiting for her to throw open that too, but she remained on the other side. "I am _trying_ to get work done!"

"Work?" I repeated dumbly. "What kind of work?"

She sighed heavily. "Yes, Natsu, _work._ Some of us have a coven to rule."

"...Wanna tell me about it?" I asked softly. I couldn't say what it was, but there was some part of me that just wanted her to _stay,_ as ridiculous as that was. I liked having her around. Maybe I had finally gone batshit crazy, because wishing that a fucking _vampire_ would stay and chat with you while you showered was about ten shades of fucked up. Or maybe more like fifty.

She sighed again, this time in exasperation. "You have no idea what a pain in the ass all this is!" she ranted, and I could just make out her blurry form pacing back and forth in front of the shower. It gave me pause, one because she was actually telling me things about her life, and two because _I was in the shower,_ but after a moment I just shrugged and went back to cleaning, taking my time since it didn't sound like her rant was going to be over anytime soon.

"They always want me to attend the most ridiculous council meetings," she went on, "which, yeah, it's a formality, I know. The queen always attends council meetings, no matter how trivial, but some of these meetings are just ridiculous! Like, the other day they woke me up in the middle of the damn night so I could go sit in a meeting to discuss who was going to be on kitchen duty for the next month, when we all know the only person in this whole coven who can cook worth a damn is Mira! Well, Midnight bakes cakes, I suppose, but he's on a feeder rotation right now, so he wasn't available."

 _Huh?_

I had no fucking clue what she was talking about, but I had never heard her so animated before, so I wasn't about to stop her to ask questions. Plus, this was the most I had ever heard, in over three years, about vampire affairs. Honestly, I wasn't impressed. It all sounded pretty political and boring as shit to me.

"Oh, and then there's this stupid law that says that I can't be Queen anymore if I'm not mated. Like, what kind of crap is that?!" she exclaimed, voice rising in her frustration.

"You don't say?" I asked flatly. A law that said she couldn't be Queen unless mated? That sounded like bullshit to me, but what'd I know about vampire law? I'd never even paid attention to _human_ law.

"Yeah! So I can't even tell you how many meetings I've been dragged into about that," she huffed, and I could picture her rolling her eyes. I grinned despite myself and finished rinsing off all the soap from my body. "And why is it always some ridiculously late hour? Some days I don't even sleep at all! Or eat! Or do anything else besides go back and forth to council meetings. Don't forget your feet," she added, just as I was about to turn the faucet off. I scowled and grabbed the brush back to scrub my feet. "Anyway, it just gets tedious. But I'm sure _you_ don't care."

"I don't mind," I said honestly. It was kind of nice, having someone to talk to, even if that someone was ranting like a lunatic about boring ass vampire council meetings.

What was I saying? I _should_ mind, she was a fucking _vampire_! What was wrong with me? My mind was playing tricks on me, surely. There was no way I was getting friendly with a bloodsucker.

"I mean, I'm done. So, can you get out now?" I tried to sound harsh, unfeeling maybe, so that she wouldn't notice my slip, but instantly regretted the words. I knew, without having heard her utter a single syllable, that I had just ruined whatever progress we had made, however small and meaningless.

 _Well, fuck my life,_ I thought, just as the bathroom door slammed shut behind her.

* * *

 **FairyTailBookworm,** That's a great question! One that will be answered very soon XD

 **Tohka123** , Your review cracked me up, I really love the commentary on all the little things that happened XD I'm glad you noticed and pointed out those things.

 **Crimsonlink310,** Vampires in this story don't HAVE to eat, but they do because they like food. They can survive without it, but they do eat. As far as breathing, well... they just don't do it. They're technically dead, or undead or whatever.

I like your idea of focusing a chapter on the lore of the vampires in this universe. That is definitely something I will squeeze in there somewhere to help everyone who is a bit confused on matters. I think most things are explained, but it will help to have everything laid out in one chapter as well.

As far as Lucy feelings sympathetic one minute and then totally NOT the next, that was intentional on her part. She doesn't understand why she feels things for this human and decides her best course of action is to pretend that she doesn't care at all. That also helps to differentiate between Natsu's and Lucy's chapters because the way they think and perceive things is different. Lucy obviously thinks she's insane and is purposely being indifferent, while Natsu is just confused and thinks she's just a bitch or unfeeling or whatever.

Indeed, a very good question XD

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	12. Chapter 11: Lucy

**A/N: Happy Memorial Day, my lovely readers! And a HUGE thank you to all to all of you for being so fantastic and supportive, you all mean so much to me! And holy hell, not only did we pass 100 reviews this week, we also got to 100 favorites. The amount of love and support for TOF is seriously astonishing to me every week. It has far surpassed all of my other fics. It's inching close to the followers FTH has, but it's damn close. You guys are awesome. I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! Thanks for reading!**

 **—Stele.**

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Eleven: Lucy**

"Eurg, that idiot!" I seethed, as I slammed the door shut behind me with enough force to shake the walls. I was pissed—at him, at them, at myself for getting carried off on emotions and blathering on to a stupid human about vampire politics! He didn't care about our lives, or mine. What was I thinking?

"Get it together, Lucy," I ordered myself.

When I heard the shower turn off, I went back to stand by the door and wait to escort him back to his room.

 _Not room,_ my mind sneered, _cell. You're a horrible person. He hates you…_

"Gah!" I slammed a fist into the wall by the bathroom door, and heard Natsu gasp in surprise at the sudden reverberation that shook the wall.

"I'm almost done!" he called through the door, sounding only slightly irritated. Great, he probably thought I was yelling at him to hurry up. Not that I should care what he thought, but for a moment I had the briefest thought to apologize. The words died on my lips, though, because what the hell was I going to apologize

Great, he probably thought I was yelling at him to hurry up. Not that I should care what he thought, but for a moment I had the briefest thought to apologize. The words died on my lips, though, because what the hell was I going to apologize _for?_

 _I'm sorry for bringing you to this place._

 _I'm sorry for chaining you to the wall like an animal._

 _I'm sorry for my very existence, which threatens the life of yours._

No. There was no way to convey everything I felt into a single "I'm sorry."

At last, he emerged from the bathroom, pink hair tousled and standing up haphazardly on his head, but smelling like the lavender and honey shampoo, the same bottle I used for my own hair. He wore the dark green shirt I'd given him, which was nicely fitted and matched his eyes nearly exactly, and the dark jeans I'd given him hung loosely on his hips. His feet were bare, because I hadn't thought to grab a pair of socks, and his arms were crossed over his chest, which I recalled from that first day was still muscular for someone who had spent years in captivity. Not that I had stared, but someone had to change him out of the rags he'd been in when I'd found him that night.

"You like what you see?" His sarcastic tone dragged my eyes back up to his. I scowled and turned my back on him, head tilted in the air as I stalked back to the room he now housed. He followed silently behind me without even being told, and when I walked into the room he obediently sat in his spot on the ground and waited while I reattached the shackles and left the room without a word, locking the door behind me.

I threw myself into my leather chair and slumped forward, head resting in my palms as hot tears pricked at the backs of my eyes, then spilled out as silent sobs wracked my body to the point where my stomach clenched from the effort to keep quiet. I didn't need Natsu listening to me sob like a child. He'd already made his dislike of me perfectly obvious.

 _Aren't you doing the same thing?_ A voice inside my head asked snidely.

I sighed. Yes, that was exactly what I was doing, pushing him away so I wouldn't have to deal with these alien feelings welling up inside of me. I had never felt half of these weird emotions before, and didn't know what the hell was right or not, or what the hell was normal.

I swiped at my eyes, and it wasn't until then that I began to feel just how tired I really was. It had been days since I'd really slept, because each time I started to drift off something would wake me. Always either a knock at my door or one of Natsu's nightmares, which I desperately wished I could take away. After all he'd gone through, I didn't know if his mind would ever be free from the memories.

It was a sad thought, one I pushed to the back of my mind, lest I start sobbing again. I had cried enough that night, and couldn't even say exactly what, or whom, my tears had been shed for.

After another few minutes of wiping tears from my eyes, I sniffled, then stood from my chair, feeling slightly disoriented from my pitiful cry session, and made my way over to my bed, falling into it still fully-clothed, and falling asleep almost instantly.

However, just as I drifted off, just as sleep pulled me into that blackness, a knock sounded on my door and jarred me back to reality.

I growled and cursed under my breath as I slid from bed, a murderous glare set in place for whoever was bothering me this time.

Just as my hand reached out to open the door, I paused, a sudden realization coming to mind: I had a human in my bedroom. His scent was most certainly permeating the air, as he had walked back and forth across my room several times the last couple days.

 _Well, shit._

"What do you want?" I called through the door, double-checking that it was still locked in case they tried to come in.

"Lucy! The Council needs you right away!"

Wendy.

"What the hell for?" I demanded. "I was just about to go to bed."

A pause. "But it's lunch time."

Was it?

"Yeah, well, I didn't sleep much last night." That, at least, was true. "What do they want?" I asked again.

"Oh! They said something about a new member!" Wendy chirped excitedly in response.

I frowned. A new member?

"Alright, I'll be right there."

I bid her farewell, then listened as she hurried off down the hall.

 _What am I going to do?_ I wondered, as I went to change into something more "Council appropriate." I plucked out a dress at random, a sapphire blue strapless dress that hung loosely around my calves, and paired that with silver heels as I tried to think of what was going on. First off, we didn't get new members randomly, so I was insanely curious as to exactly whom Wendy could have been referring to. Also… I had no freaking clue what I was going to do about Natsu.

I walked over to the door connecting my room to his and stood outside for a moment, just listening. The sounds of steady breathing and soft snores filtered through the door and I breathed a soft sigh of relief. Well, if he was asleep there was less chance that anyone would overhear him, should they come sneaking around.

 _Unless he has another nightmare and starts screaming again…_

Shit.

Thinking quickly, I grabbed a pillow from my bed, then hurried into the room. He didn't wake as I entered, or when I slipped the pillow under his head. I waited a moment, watched as his body took a deep breath, then snuggled into the soft fabric of the pillow before letting out a soft sigh. I smiled. He looked so young and peaceful when he was asleep.

After that task was done, I left him there, hoping that maybe that would help him with his nightmares, at least for the time being.

…

When I stepped into the Council's Chambers, I nearly had to stop and do a double-take. Sitting before me were not just my fellow Council members, but Levy as well, and that wasn't even the strange part. Across the room, in the very chair Levy had been tied to just a few days earlier, sat a human man. He had black hair, but it was dusted brown with dirt, and tanned skin that had obviously seen a lot of the sun, with too many piercings to even count.

 _Shit!_ I thought, as soon as my mind connected this scowling man to the sleeping one from the other day. _Levy, what have you done?_

I worked to keep my expression as blank as possible as I moved to my seat at the head of the table next to Erza and, unfortunately, Laxus, who was back from his brief stint in the cellars. Levy sat at the very end with a determined expression—not the terrified one I had been expecting—in an empty chair next to Makarov.

 _Okay… clearly she's not on trial here, so what the hell is going on?_

"What is this urgent matter you wish to discuss?" I asked, wasting no time with pleasantries.

"This young woman," Makarov gestured at Levy, "would like to put in a formal petition to take a mate."

I just stared. _What the hell_?

Levy cleared her throat. "I mean, I know I can't right now…" she began slowly, "but, I was really hoping you would turn him so that I could, you know, later…" she trailed off, not sounding nearly as confident as she looked.

I furrowed my brows, completely and utterly dumbfounded. She was asking me to turn her human pet into a vampire so that she could lay Claim on him? Was she serious?

"Obviously, it should be put up for a vote," Laxus interjected before I could respond. I turned a glare his way, but he was avoiding eye contact. "She can't take a human mate!" he added, still not looking at me.

"And why not?" It was Erza who spoke up this time, sounding about as tired as I felt. "It is not exactly tradition to turn humans into vampires, but it is not entirely unheard of. It happens on occasion, and if Ms. McGarden has formed some sort of bond with this human…" she trailed off, as though unable to find logic in her thought, but I knew what she was getting at. I had heard stories myself, I'd just never believed them. I didn't know if I did now, either, but if Levy wanted to lay Claim on a human… well, who was I to judge?

"Your Majesty," Lilliana spoke up just as I was opening my mouth to respond. I closed it and turned to give her my attention, raising an eyebrow so that she would continue. "If I may speak in favor of my mate, I'd say that Ms. McGarden's sudden, um, _desire_ to Claim this human only proves that the claim my mate made some days ago was not, in fact, false. Um, Your Majesty."

I turned my glare back on Laxus, who looked rather smug now. "You don't say," I deadpanned.

"It is rather sudden," Makarov agreed in a bored tone.

I took a moment to think of how best to get Levy out of this situation. If only she had just _listened_ to me…

"It was the Day of Rest, am I correct?" I asked, sitting back and folding my hands in my lap, trying for casual and praying to Mavis that I looked it. "Not three days ago, if I recall…" I actually couldn't remember how many days ago that was. Three? Four? Ten? I didn't know…

"...Yes?" Laxus agreed, carefully, knowing full-well what I was doing, but unable to stop me.

"And the law states that a vampire can take a human so long as they do so under the Day of Rest, and only if said human willingly agrees to accompany the vampire at his or her own free will. Is that correct, Laxus?" I kept my gaze fixed on the wall behind Makarov and Levy, and feigned boredom as I waited for a reply.

"...Yes." He answered at last, and I saw Levy breathe a sigh of relief from the corner of my eye.

" _And_ ," I continued, "if both vampire and human agree to the Claiming terms, said vampire can then, lawfully, petition the Queen, who is me, to turning her human into a vampire, thus allowing him or her to Claim, and then mate. Are you finding any fault in my logic here, Laxus?"

I felt pretty smug just then. I hadn't just stepped into the role of Queen overnight, after all. Well, I suppose I had, but I had spent my entire life reading all of the laws that governed not only our coven but all of vampire kind. After I was made ruler, I went over them again just to be sure I had all the laws memorized for moments such as these. I couldn't be stuck in a Council meeting and suddenly find that I didn't know the answer to something.

"No, Your Highness." he replied in a stony voice that nearly had me laughing.

 _Lucy-2, Laxus-0._

"Great!" I clapped my hands together in front of me. "Levy, introduce us to your, uh, friend."

"Right!" She hastily got up from her chair and whispered something in the man's ear. He nodded, then stood up beside her, standing at least a good foot above her. It was a funny sight to behold, and ironic as hell. This huge, towering beast of a man, who was merely a weak human, next to a small, dainty-looking girl who was a strong, capable vampire that could break him in two in half a heartbeat.

"This is Gajeel," Levy gestured at the man, who nodded at me in greeting, "and we would like to petition you, my Queen, for permission to turn him."

I paused, for dramatic effect mostly, seeing as I had set out on the Day of Rest with this very mission in mind, as it was, but the others didn't know that so I had to keep up appearances.

"Permission granted," I said at last.

"What?!" Laxus exclaimed, turning to me with bugging eyes. I stared back blankly. "You're not serious!"

"Dead serious."

 _No pun intended_.

Laxus scoffed but held his tongue, fortunately for him.

"Take him to the southern corridors, and I will be there to take care of things shortly," I said to Levy, who nodded, eyes glowing with appreciation as she steered the man out of the room.

"Your Majesty," Makarov began, "I understand that this is technically your decision to make, and I understand that Ms. McGarden is a close friend of yours, but—"

"Oh, don't even start with me," I snapped. I didn't want to hear whatever lecture he had prepared. "I am acting under the law that has governed our kind for millennia, and whether or not Levy is a personal friend of mine means nothing when it comes to that law.

"Besides," I added in a bored tone, "we need more strong men in our ranks anyway. I will report this change in our coven roster to the Vampire Elite Council at our next meeting.

"Now, are there any more pressing matters to be discussed at this time?"

A few shakes of the head was all I got in return.

"Good, then you're all dismissed."

Rather than waiting until they all filed out, as I usually did, I stood from my chair and made a hasty exit, practically running down the halls toward the southern tunnels, and to the room marked "NEWBIES." This was not what the original plaque had said, but had been translated a dozen different times throughout the centuries until some idiot finally just scrawled in some random translation that was only slightly accurate, and stuck it on the door. Whatever, it didn't matter what the door said.

I stepped inside to find Levy and Gajeel both already bowed at the waist, Levy practically bowed clean in half.

"Queen Lucy, I give you my most humble gratitude. My life belongs to you, now. I will forever be in your—"

"Put a sock in it, Levy." I cut her off, rolling my eyes at how damn dramatic she was sometimes. "You may both rise."

They did, but both kept their eyes downcast.

"Gajeel," I started, and waited until his gaze met mine before continuing. I had to hide the shock at the fact that his eyes were red, just red, like Midnight's. _How curious_ … "A few things before we get started. First off, I need you to tell me, in your own words, that you honestly and truthfully want to trade your human life to become a creature of the night; a blood-sucking vampire." The words were harsh, but this was another formality that could not be overlooked. He had to utter the words aloud before I could move on.

"I honestly and truthfully wish to become a vampire," he said, tone flat.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "And this is completely of your own free will?" I clarified. "This has nothing to do with Levy McGarden's influence?"

"Lu!" Levy started, but I cut a seething glare her way, effectively shutting her up.

"This is my own will," he said, eyes still locked on mine.

I nodded. "Very well. Next, I need to go over a few things with you, just so you know what you're getting into.

"Becoming a vampire is not an entirely painful experience, but it isn't exactly a thrill-ride." I began. "There is some pain involved during the transitional period, which takes about twelve to twenty-four hours, depending on the person. Also, in agreeing to become a vampire under the Fairy Tail coven's name, you also agree to become my subject, and therefore are submitting your will to me, as coven Queen. You will remain under my will until such a point comes where a new ruler takes my place, you are asked to leave the coven for whatever reason, or you decide to leave of your own will, thus severing your connection to both me and Fairy Tail. Do you understand?"

Gajeel nodded. "Yes, I understand."

"Excellent. Next, the Claiming process. Should you agree to a contract of mating with Levy McGarden, you will be signing on for eternity. Once you have been Claimed, and have entered into the mating process, you will be lawfully bound to remain with that person until such a time that one of you perishes. That is the _only_ time a mating contract may be severed. Any other instances, such as cheating, will get you a stake through the heart. Is that understood?"

A gulp. "Yes."

"Good. Now, kneel and repeat after me." I instructed him. He nodded, then took one knee before me, head slightly bowed. "I, state your name,"

"I, Gajeel Redfox," he repeated.

"Hereby submit my life and eternal will to the Queen of Fairy Tail coven, Lucy Heartfilia."

"Hereby submit my life and eternal will to the Queen of Fairy Tail coven, Lucy Heartfilia."

"I agree to lifelong servitude under her rule, and will not, under any circumstances, do anything that should bring harm to my kin or Queen."

Repeat.

"I agree to the terms that bind me, life, body, and spirit, to this coven and its people, and will, to the best of my ability, protect my coven from any threats, no matter the cost."

Repeat.

"Good." I nodded. "Now, I, Lucy Heartfilia, as Queen of Fairy Tail coven, agree to this new kinship, and hereby accept you into this coven as a full-fledged member. I agree to offer you every amenity available to any member of the Fairy Tail family, and will protect you with my life, just as I would for anyone else.

"That being said, I will now take your human life and submit you into a life of vampirism. Last chance for objections." I warned.

"I submit my will to you." He repeated.

I nodded and took a knee beside him, before plunging my fangs into his throat.

He cried out in pain, and I noticed Levy cringe and turn away from the sight. It wouldn't last long, this pain. It was different when you turned someone versus simply feeding on them. The pain of turning only lasted very briefly, however, during the next twelve or so hours during his transition, there would be a most uncomfortable feeling, and some pain, but nothing akin to an ordinary vampire bite.

After a short moment, I pulled back, licking the wound to seal it before I did, and then tore my teeth across my wrist. Instantly blood started flowing from the inch-long cut I had made, which I thrust up to his mouth. The blood dripped down his lips for a moment, and shock registered in his eyes before he finally began to drink.

This was the only time it was appropriate for anyone to feed from a Queen, unless said Queen had a mate. That was why my neck was unmarked as of yet, I had never been fed from. As for my wrist, this was only the third time I had had to turn a human in my three years as coven Queen, and turning didn't leave a mark as regular bites did.

Levy kept glancing in our direction, uneasiness pouring off of her in palpable waves. She held a look of longing in her eyes, as if she wished she could be the one to turn him. I kind of wished she could, too, because this was an exhausting and, admittedly, disgusting process that I never enjoyed, but only a Queen held the power to turn a human into a vampire, so it had to be this way.

After a few moments, I pulled my wrist free and licked the wound myself to seal it, cringing a bit at the taste of my own blood.

"Gajeel Redfox," I said, "welcome to Fairy Tail coven."

* * *

 **MorriganFae** , Hahaha, so much enthusiasm this chapter, I love that! Poor Natsu, he does need a good mani/pedi. His nails have to be caked in dirt and grime, ew. A Gajeel chapter, huh... I don't know how well I'd do writing for him, but tell you what, I'll see what I can do! Actually, I might have an idea...

 **Guest** , hahaha, you're so right. Gray is so mean!

 **CrimsonLink310** , The healing drug isn't making him loopy in that sense, it does affect him, but not in a way that makes him extra flirty, he's just being an idiot because he thinks Lucy is hot stuff. As for escaping... It's not that he's all of a sudden super comfortable where he's at now (being Lucy's prisoner, that is), but he doesn't exactly have anywhere else to go. I know I touch on this a few times throughout the story. Natsu is under no delusions that he could make a break for it with a bunch of vampires skulking about.

That shower scene was my favorite XD He's an idiot, but we love him for it.

 **FairyRains** , Aw thanks! I think it's fun to see them act a little differently too. I especially love that Lucy is more dominant in this story. It's interesting to write her that way when for so long I've been trying to keep her as "in-character" as possible, but in reality, Lucy is a badass woman and she deserves to portrayed that way. So it has been fun working with that!

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	13. Chapter 12: Gajeel

**A/N: "Can I request a chapter with Gajeel POV? I miss the iron baller." _MorriganFae_ , yes, you can XD I literally just wrote this chapter this week for your reading pleasure, so I do hope it does not disappoint! It does technically fall into the storyline, but it's broken up into sections. The actual storyline will continue in the next chapter.**

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Twelve: Gajeel**

It was a dark, moonless night and the air was crisp as a light breeze fluttered through the trees and through thick, black tresses. Boots clomped through the forest, annoyance and agitation evident in each hard stomp, and in the scowl set on pale lips. Low hanging branches were thrust aside with an angry hand each time one threatened to thwack the man in the face.

He was grumbling unintelligibly under his breath as he made his way deeper and deeper into the dark forest. Despite the lack of moonlight and the way the trees overhead covered even the light from the stars, this man had no trouble making his way through the thick woods. He'd always had exceptional vision, his father used to tell him it was because of his piercing red eyes, something about the way light filtered through them. It never made any sense to him, and he'd always just rolled his eyes and ignored the old geezer. Now, as he trekked through yet another fucking forest full of more identical fucking trees, he wished he had paid more attention to his father's words.

He had no real destination in mind, he was simply on a mission. Perhaps it was foolish of him to think that he would ever succeed, but he would rather die trying than live with uncertainty. When he did find his father, he would make that fucker pay for abandoning him all those years ago. Not a day went by that Gajeel did not search. For three years, he had been roaming forests and woods and even the fucking desert for signs of his father. Nothing. Not a fucking trace. That did not stop him from looking, however. Even when the days and nights seemed to stretch on for eternity, endless hours of walking with no reward, he still did not grow discouraged. He knew he would find his father, one day, if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Fuck," Gajeel grumbled, not for the first time that evening. He just liked the word, it felt good to use the expletive aloud—his father always scolded him for using curse words, so it was a form of rebellion for him. Plus, he half-hoped his crude language would draw his father out of wherever the hell he was hiding. Gajeel would take the beating gladly if it meant he could find the bastard again.

"Fuck," he said a little louder, then smirked as the sound echoed off the nearby trees. "You hear that, you metal-headed bastard?! Come out and give me a thrashing for my foul language!"

Silence.

"Tch. Too scared, huh? I don't blame ya, I was always tougher than you, old man."

"Is that so?"

Gajeel stopped so fast, he nearly ran straight into a tree. The voice was not his own. It was also not that of his father's.

"Who said that?" He spun around, searching for the voice, but seeing nothing but darkness and trees. "If this is some sick joke, I'll rip your head off!"

A tinkling laugh. "Oh, really? You, a human, are going to kill _me_?" Another laugh.

 _A girl. A fucking_ girl _is laughing at me?!_

"Who the fuck are you?" Gajeel demanded, turning slowly, scanning the trees and the ground, looking for the source of the sound. That voice… it was smooth like chocolate, yet fierce at the same time—a lion in the guise of a kitten.

"Is that any way to speak to a woman, boy?" The voice snapped, and for some reason Gajeel felt a tremor run down his spine.

He stopped his search, mostly because he was starting to get dizzy from spinning, and simply stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a hard expression. A fluttering breeze blew across his face and with it came an unfamiliar scent. Something dropped in front of him, making him suck in a breath of surprise, despite his steely exterior.

A woman, no more than five-foot, stood before him. It was dark, so she was mostly cast in shadow, but he could still make out some of her features, most importantly, the piercing red gaze that bored into his. Her hair was blue, something he found interesting, and cropped short around her shoulders. Her frame was small and delicate and pixie-like, yet her whole body radiated power, so much that he felt the sudden desire to fall to his knees before her.

He shook off the thought and cleared his throat. "Who are you?" he asked, more gently this time.

She stared at him a moment, or rather, she seemed to be studying him. Her small eyes scanned over his body in a way that made him feel exposed—naked. He shivered from a sudden chill and swallowed a lump in his throat.

"You…" she breathed in deeply, "smell delicious."

He blinked, scratched the back of his head. "Uh, thanks?"

"What's your name, boy?" she asked. Her voice flowed around him, wrapping him up like an embrace.

 _Fuck, that's so cliché._

"Gajeel," he blurted before he realized he'd spoken.

The woman smiled. "Gajeel… I'd love to sink my teeth into you."

He gulped. What the fuck did _that_ mean? "What's _your_ name?"

"Levy," she answered. She stepped closer and raised a hand up to his chest.

He sucked in a breath and held it, like he was afraid she might strike him, but no… he wasn't afraid of a little woman. He could easily flick her away like a fly.

A finger pressed against his chest, effectively knocking the breath right out in a shudder. She arched an eyebrow and slid the finger down his chest, just one, all the way down to his stomach, then back up to repeat the process. He was mesmerized by that small touch, by the fire that burned behind that piercing gaze.

"Intriguing…" she whispered. "Come back to my coven with me."

The words were a command, sharp and to the point, yet still held the barest trace of a question. She was asking his permission, behind that command. Her eyes pleaded with him, even as her mouth was settled into a thin line.

"Coven?" he repeated, confused by the unfamiliar word.

Her lips pulled back to reveal gleaming white teeth—and two sharp canines.

Gajeel went completely still.

 _Vampire,_ he thought, even as the word sounded ridiculous inside his head. Vampires weren't real, they were the stuff of legends and fairy tales. Yet… This woman standing before him, all pale skinned and red-eyed, lithe frame and sharp teeth. Everything about her screamed "vampire."

"Y-You're a—" He couldn't force the word past his lips. They stuck there on the edge of his tongue, fighting to get out, but unable to break through.

She arched an eyebrow again. "I am a vampire. Would you like to see what I can do, Gajeel? Would you like to see what a vampire is capable of?"

He didn't even realize he had been trembling until her hand clamped around his shirt and yanked it hard, forcing him to stoop to her level. Her lips trailed along his neck like the barest fluttering of a breeze, almost imperceptible. Still, he could feel how cold they were against his hot skin. He breathed in the scent of her hair and let it out in a shuddering breath.

 _Don't be a pansy, Gajeel. It's not like you've never seen a woman before._

"Answer me, boy." Her voice commanded him, still with the barest trace of uncertainty that only added to her allure.

"Yes," he gasped out. "Show me."

…

Gajeel followed silently behind the blue-haired vampire, keeping his eyes trained on the ground as she had instructed him to do. He wanted to look around, to see where she was taking him, but he was unable to do so. His body would not obey his brain's commands to look up. Or perhaps it was his brain that would not obey, he wasn't sure. Either way, his eyes were glued to his feet as Levy tugged him along.

They were no longer in the forest. She had led him to a trapdoor in the earth, nearly completely consumed by underbrush, then instructed him to climb down the ladder there with his eyes shut. He'd obeyed at once, then stood at the bottom as he waited for further instruction. Now, they were walking through hallways with floors the color of birch wood. The smell of clean was a little too strong, he thought, but besides that it was pretty ordinary from what he could tell.

It seemed to take forever to get wherever the hell she was taking him. They wound through an endless maze of hallways with so many doors he couldn't even begin to count them.

Finally, she stopped at the end of one hallway and pulled an old-fashioned key from somewhere. He saw the gold teeth gleam in the lights from overhead as she inserted it into the lock and twisted it before pushing the door open.

"Come, boy."

He followed her into a dark room, eyes still downcast. The door closed behind them, sealing them away like a tomb, darkness nearly suffocating him. A light flicked on from above, making him squint and blink away the sudden sunbursts in his vision.

"Welcome to my domain, Gajeel."

The way she said this made him tense up at once. She chuckled. She was circling him like a hunter surveying her prey. Gajeel could feel her eyes roaming over his body, could sense the power she held, more than any woman he'd ever encountered. It was intriguing; it was terrifying.

"You may look around now," she said, placing a small finger under his chin to lift his eyes up. "Go on, boy, have a look around, but don't touch anything," she warned.

He nodded and forced his gaze away from hers to take in his new surroundings. He was in a large room, dominated by a huge bed with so many pillows and stuffed animals he couldn't even see the blankets underneath. The bed had posts that nearly touched the ceiling and crossed over the top. A black net-like thing fell over the sides but did little to conceal the inside.

Turning, he noticed the room was interestingly decorated in shades of purple, blue, and black. It didn't look anything like the small fairy-like girl who stood before him, watching his every move with an intense gaze as if waiting to strike. She seemed to be waiting for him to do something, but he couldn't decide what it was she was waiting for.

"So," he said, scratching the back of his head again, "are ya gonna eat me now, or what?"

Her expression looked so astonished, he nearly laughed. " _Eat_ you?" She scoffed. "Why would I do that?"

He blinked, confused. "You're a vampire."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm aware, that doesn't mean I plan to eat you, boy, no matter how delectable your scent is."

"Then… what the hell _do_ you plan on doing with me?" If she didn't want him as a snack, what was he even there for?

 _Eye candy,_ his mind supplied.

He smirked.

Her eyes narrowed. "What are you smirking about?"

"I know what you want," he said, arrogance dripping from his tone. "You brought me here for some much needed eye candy, right, Shrimp? I don't blame you, I've got a _lot_ to offer." He flexed and waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

"Oh, is that what you think?" Her tone was flat, face expressionless. He lost the smirk and dropped his arms as her red gaze fell on his. "Allow me to show you, Gajeel, exactly what I wish to do with you."

He barely had time to widen his eyes before she flew at him and pinned him to the floor.

…

"Wake up, Gajeel!"

Gajeel jerked awake with a groan and had to blink several times before he could make out the blue-haired vampire straddling his lap. She wore a disapproving expression, much to his surprise (what the hell had he done anyway?), eyes narrowed into the barest slits and mouth pressed into a hard line.

"What's up, Shrimp?" he mumbled, wiping sleep from his eyes.

"Come on, Gajeel, we have to get out of here! My Queen is furious that I brought you down here!"

He frowned. "Queen? Like, the king and queen of a palace?"

Levy smacked his chest with a hand, which shouldn't have hurt as much as it did since she was a tiny woman and she'd barely touched him. Still, he grunted in pain from the hit.

"We don't have kings, idiot! We are ruled by Queens, never a king."

"Never, huh?" He scratched his head.

"Never," she reiterated. "Now get up! Unless you want to incur the wrath of the strongest vampire in this entire coven, then we have to get you out of here. Also…" she paused and seemed to be thinking hard about her next words, "I have to erase your memories of me."

Gajeel sat up in an instant, bringing their faces inches apart. "You what?!"

Levy blinked a few times, expression unreadable, then blew out an annoyed breath—a huff, he realized a moment later. "Queen Lucy insists upon it, for the safety of our coven." She was looking away from him, a stubborn expression now.

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? The hell am I gonna do, Shrimp? Come back and stake a house full of vampires myself? Ha!" He barked a laugh. "Like I could make it within six feet of this place before one of you put me six-feet under." He chuckled at his own joke.

"This is hardly a joking matter!" Levy chided. "You'll be lucky if one of mine doesn't smell you first and tear your human flesh to shreds."

"You know what?" he said, bringing his face closer to hers, despite the scowl he got for it. "You're adorable for a demon."

" _Eh_?!" She blanched, smacked him hard across the chest, then flashed across the room from him, hands fisting in blue hair. "You are a frustrating human."

"You're a frustrating vampire," he shot right back.

She sighed. "Look, I think you're cute for a human and all, and I'd love to keep you around as my pet—"

"Pet?!"

"But I simply cannot go against my Queen's Word," she finished. "It is physically impossible for me to betray a direct command."

He watched a shiver go up her spine and arched an eyebrow. He wondered if she was feeling what he'd felt the day before, when she had looked at him with those eyes and his entire being had been unable, and unwilling, to deny her.

"Alright, Shrimp, don't get your panties in a ruffle." He pushed to his feet and stretched his arms above his head. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" He winked obnoxiously.

"You're not going to fight me?" The suspicion was clear in her tone.

He snorted. "Am I, a weak human, going to fight you, a vampire dominatrix? Nah. Some other time, maybe."

"..."

"What?" The expression on her face was somewhere between terror and amazement, he thought. Or maybe she was just really pissed off, it was hard to tell with women.

"I-Don't call me a dominatrix!" she finally spat.

 _Flustered,_ he decided with another smirk.

"Ah, sorry babe."

"Don't call me that, either!"

He held up his hands in surrender.

She huffed and turned her back on him. "Come on, let's get going."

She led him back through the winding hallways, again making him keep his gaze down, this time tugging him by his wrist as if he were a disobedient child. It took five minutes at the least until she stopped again and he wondered if this place was just that big, or if she was purposely leading him in circles to confuse him.

"Gajeel," Levy called his attention from the floor. He glanced up at her. "Follow me up—shit!"

He arched an eyebrow. "That's not very ladylike of you—"

"Shh!" She smacked a hand over his mouth, which couldn't have been easy to do with their difference in height. He watched her eyes darting around the hallway frantically as if listening to something. "Shit!" she breathed, so low he barely heard it. Her hands tugged his face down, then her lips found his ear, so close they brushed against the lobe. "Gajeel, take this ladder up to the surface and run. Now." She shoved him away and gave him a frantic look, gesturing for him to move.

He nodded, took a deep breath, and climbed.

…

He stayed near the vampire's home for days after, waiting for the beautiful fairy to reappear. He knew he should have been long gone by then, but he couldn't bring himself to move. That woman… she was something different, and not just in the vampire-sense. The night they'd spent together was one he'd never forget, no matter how short it had been. He'd never known a woman like Levy before. He didn't know if it was just a vampire thing, or if she had fucked with his brain or what, but he was intrigued and he wanted more.

So he hung around the place where he first saw her, hoping she would show up again, and knowing she would be pissed as hell if she did. She had told him to run, he should have listened, but then… she also had not erased his memories as her Queen had commanded. He didn't know anything about how queens and vampires worked, but he still knew that had to have been a hard thing for her to do. He still wondered what that fear in her eyes had meant that night, and what she had heard that made her so frantic. Was it another vampire? Her Queen?

"Fuck," he muttered aloud, wondering if he had somehow gotten her into serious trouble. Maybe she was dead, all because he—

"Still have a potty mouth, I see."

He spun around so fast his vision went dark and he nearly fell over. "Shrimp," he choked out, stumbling a bit as he tried to regain his balance.

"Thought I told you to get lost?" she asked, hands on hips as she glowered up at him.

"You told me to run," he replied, "you said nothin' about makin' myself scarce."

Her expression softened. "You're right. What are you still doing around here?"

 _Do not tell her you were waiting for her._

He shrugged nonchalantly, cleared his throat. "Chillin'."

Levy rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sure you were." She shook her head in exasperation.

"Why are _you_ here?" he asked, suddenly suspicious even though he had been hoping to catch her eventually.

She arched an eyebrow. "This is Fairy Tail land, I'm allowed to be here. You," she pointed at Gajeel, "are not allowed to be here. Unless…"

"Unless?" he prompted.

A sly smile crossed her features. "Unless you were a member of Fairy Tail coven."

Gajeel took a step back in astonishment. "Me?! Wouldn't that mean I would be a—"

"A bloodsucking demon from hell," Levy finished without so much as a blink.

He choked a little on that. _A bloodsucking demon from hell_ … A vampire. A creature of darkness.

 _Metalicana…_

 _No. That bastard left me. It's time for a new purpose._

 _No. That's not entirely true… I can use this new power to help me in my search._

 _And you'd get_ her.

He glanced down at the small woman who still stared unblinkingly at him, waiting expectantly for his reply.

 _A vampire. Me. A vampire with a hot girl. Gihi, Metalicana would be so jealous!_

"I'm in, Shrimp."

 _Three Days Post Transformation…_

Gajeel watched Levy from across the room, from across _their_ room, the room they now shared. She was ten steps from the wall and slowly backing up toward it, green eyes rimmed in red trained on his as he advanced on her, and oh how delicious did she look then. Her mussed hair and that fear-scent mixed with lust and a little bit of something else he couldn't quite detect just then.

"Mm," he said aloud, breathing in the scent more deeply as he took another step forward.

"H-Hey now!" Levy protested yet again. "You can't do that, just because you're a vampire now!"

"What am I doin', Shrimp?" he cocked his head to the side and smirked at her, at her tiny fingers that danced along her sides nervously. Oh, her nervousness was just savory…

"You can't act all big and bad! I'm still in charge here!"

"Are you?" he challenged, taking a few more steps. "I thought you liked it when I'm bad?"

She scowled, a cute little crease forming between her eyebrows. "I never said that!"

"But your body says you do…" He advanced farther, watching her bare feet nearly trip over one another as she tried to step back without looking. "And your scent," he breathed in once more, "oh, Shrimp, I could feed on you until the sun rose."

"You can't do that, either!" she squeaked out.

He chuckled at her flustered state. "Why not? Aren't you gonna be my mate for life?"

That gave her pause, it seemed. "No… You'll be _my_ mate, so start acting like it!" She stood her ground now, feet planted firmly in place, hands balled into tiny fists, expression fierce and determined. " _Stop_!" The word was loud—a sharp command that had him literally jolting to a hard stop five feet from her.

He blinked in surprise. He'd thought he was the one with the upper hand here…

"That is quite enough of that!" Now she advanced on him, but unlike her, he was unable to back away from her demonic gaze. The reds around her green irises gleamed. "Kneel down."

He dropped to his knees, gaze never leaving hers. The power she radiated… it was enough to send tremors through his body, even after he'd become one of her. He hadn't understood the power vampire women possessed until that moment.

She stood before him, then leaned down and fisted her hands in his long hair, yanking his head back hard. He grunted, not in pain, but more in surprise. She leaned forward and ran the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip teasingly.

"Mm, delicious."

"Cruel woman," he breathed, eyes turning dark now with desire.

She winked. "Would you like a taste?"

His shit-eating grin was all the answer she needed.

* * *

 **A/N: So, a bit different than my normal TOF style, but I thought it came out pretty good! Let me know all of your thoughts, and I'll see you for my next update! Natsu is next, guys, don't worry!**

* * *

 **ThayetJade,** Excellent questions, sorry I can't answer them XD

 **MorriganFae** , I don't think you're the only one who thinks things are about to turn delicious *wink*

 **Crimsonlink310** , Not swept under the rug, Lucy will get hers XD

Um, definitely NOT Midnight haha. Midnight came in with Cobra and they were already vampires. As for how that happened... I'm pretty sure I explain that, but I can't recall the exact chapter. It will come forth. As for the three vampires Lucy has turned... That will also be explained in time, but that is a very good question XD.


	14. Chapter 13: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Thirteen: Natsu**

I awoke to the smell of pancakes and bacon, rather than from some horrific nightmare. My eyes opened groggily and flicked about the room before finally settling on a familiar tray with large portions of food. I sat up, frowning when my face didn't scrape across the hard floor.

There was a pillow under my head.

I blinked at it in confusion, wondering briefly where the hell it had come from, but then recognized the unmistakable scent that was Lucy's. My eyes widened at the realization that not only had she brought me huge portions of food three times a day, allowed me to use her bathroom to piss _and_ shower, and given me clean clothing, but now she had given me a goddamned pillow, too. It was turning into a hotel up in here. I couldn't really complain, except for the shackles which bound me to the wall and rubbed my wrists raw.

Well, nothing to be done about that.

I pulled the tray in front of me and began to eat, savoring all the delicious flavors, taking my time because what the hell else was I going to do?

 _Actually…_

I glanced over to my left, where a small stack of books which had appeared one night while I was sleeping, sat. When I had asked Lucy about them, she'd just shrugged and avoided answering me.

I was an idiot.

Why had I said that stupid thing yesterday? Sure, she technically kidnapped me, but she had also saved my life. She wasn't a horrible prison warden, not at all. I'd definitely had worse.

That thought brought a brief pang in my chest as I recalled the endless hours of torture and pain I had endured at the hands of Minerva and her minions. Not only had she drunk from me, but her men liked to hit, and they liked their tools. I had countless scars to remember each and every moment by.

I blinked back the tears that those memories brought on, then hastily wiped my eyes before Lucy came in and scolded me for being a crybaby. I hurriedly finished the last of my meal, then settled back with Shakespeare's _Macbeth_ , one of the works in a collection of Shakespeare's plays that had "mysteriously appeared" in my room.

A few hours later, when boredom had long since settled and I had finished reading _Macbeth,_ Lucy came in with another tray and wordlessly replaced it with the breakfast tray before leaving once again.

I gaped at the door in disbelief. She normally at least made _some_ comment when she came in, but she hadn't so much at looked in my direction this time. Had I offended her so badly that she wouldn't even acknowledge me except to keep me fed? If so, it was going to be a long and lonely existence from then on.

The next few weeks went on in the same fashion, with Lucy coming in to exchange my tray and then leaving again without uttering a single word. I tried desperately to pull her into conversation. I tried pleading, like a damn wimp, I tried cockiness, which was easy enough for me. I called her names, trying to rile her up enough to even yell at me, because all this silence was starting to drive me insane. Besides bathroom breaks, I didn't leave my room. She had supplied me with more reading material, which I was grateful for, but I was still bored out of my fucking mind and craved company more than I ever thought I would.

Sometimes, however, in the middle of the night when I would awaken from a particularly bad nightmare, I'd see her sitting in the room, not looking at me, just leaning against the wall, staring at the ceiling or the wall opposite her, silent tears running down her cheeks. I knew, after that first time I saw her sitting there crying, that she must stay up every night, just sharing in my sorrow. It was a comforting thought, but it also made me sad because I knew she didn't get much sleep as it was, and I felt like _I_ was constantly sleeping, trying to catch up on all that I'd lost while I was held captive at Sabertooth.

She never said anything, even when she caught me staring at her in the dark. She would simply stand to her feet and quietly leave the room, only to return when I woke her with more cries.

The day was the first of the month, which meant that it was the Day of Rest for vampires, and a lonely day for human prisoners. Lucy wouldn't come by at all today if I had to guess—she would be busy taking care of business around the… whatever this place was called. Vampire Headquarters? Bloodsuckers Anonymous? Transylvania?

I pulled on the chains that bound me to the wall so I could scratch my hair. It was getting dirty, which meant that it was also itchy. The cuff around my wrist slipped a bit, revealing raw, purplish skin. I stared at it for a moment, trying to come to terms with how I felt.

On the one hand, there was an undeniable attraction I felt toward this woman, I couldn't get her out of my head, and every time she visited I felt more alive than I ever had in nineteen years. When she left, however… it felt like a piece of myself left as well—a piece of my soul ripped away at the seams. Especially now that she had been avoiding speaking to me.

On the other hand, she was a vampire: an evil creature of the night that fed on the blood of the innocent and held me prisoner for some weird, sadistic kicks of hers.

Why was I even still here? It had been a month today, and miraculously no other vampires had found me here. Didn't they have an amazing sense of smell and hearing? Why had none of them heard or smelled me yet? It wasn't as if I tried to keep quiet, and Lucy was constantly screaming and yelling about _something,_ it seemed. I could hear her ranting through the door that separated us. She was often stressed with all that came with being a vampire Queen, and while I had no idea what that meant, I could at least sympathize with her.

"Sympathize with a demon," I scoffed aloud. "What an idiot."

"What was that about being an idiot?"

My head whipped around at the sound of her lilting voice. Brown eyes rimmed in red peered down at me. Her expression wasn't cold exactly, but it wasn't friendly either.

"Nothing," I muttered, narrowing my eyes at her to show that I was annoyed by her sudden appearance, even though my heart leapt at the fact that _she was speaking to me_. "Isn't this supposed to be your big day?" I asked.

She didn't so much as blink.

"I have grown tired of all of this Day of Rest bullshit," she replied with a sigh.

"It sounds taxing," I agreed in a flat tone.

Still, no blink.

"I don't find you nearly as amusing as you apparently do."

She began to pace in front of me, her body radiating agitation. My eyes scanned over her lithe frame, the way her dress, the color of blood, clung to her curves in all the right ways, or the ridiculously tall, black stilettos she seemed to have no trouble walking around in. Her long legs were exposed by the nearly too short skirt, giving me more to look at than I wanted to.

 _But she's so fucking sexy,_ my mind argued with me. I growled under my breath, ignoring the unwelcome thought.

Lucy halted in her pacing and lifted an eyebrow at me.

"What?" I asked innocently. She stared at me with cold, dead eyes—expressionless, the same look she'd been giving me since that day where I stupidly ruined everything. Yet, here I was, acting like a total douche—again.

"You growled," she stated.

I worked to hide my shock at this comment. I knew vampires had extraordinary senses, but seeing that firsthand was something else altogether, even after all the years I'd been around them. "Yeah well, I'm practicing my vampire growl," I quipped. I thought _that_ would get a reaction out of her, but Lucy was the queen of the poker face—no pun intended.

"Funny," she replied in a deadpan.

"What are you doing here?" I asked tiredly. Even though I desperately wanted her to stay, some part of me couldn't just submit so easily. I was still Natsu, after all. "Isn't this some special vampire resting day?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Despite the name, the Day of Rest has nothing to do with 'resting'." Her affronted look was almost funny.

"Then what the hell is it?" I asked, unable to hold back my curiosity. For a moment, I didn't think she would reply, but after an endless moment of those gleaming eyes boring into mine, she finally gave a heavy sigh.

"No one has ever explained this to you before?"

"The bloodsuckers I was with weren't exactly great conversationalists," I replied flatly.

She narrowed her eyes at the term 'bloodsuckers,' but otherwise gave no reaction.

"The Day of Rest, technically, is the only day we, as vampires, are lawfully permitted to hunt humans, or each other." She added this last part almost silently.

"Wait, really?" I leaned forward, curious despite myself. There was just something about this woman… it drew me in and held me prisoner just as much as these chains around my wrists.

Lucy nodded. "But don't get any funny ideas, it is much more complicated than that, and I could still eat you if I wanted to, any day." she added.

I rolled my eyes at her petulant tone. "Go ahead, it wouldn't be the first time one of you sunk their teeth into me."

She bared her teeth at me and gave a low growl.

"Watch it, human," she seethed. "I could kill you before you so much as blink an eye."

"So do it, then." I gave a shrug, then raised an eyebrow, as if daring her to try it.

Her lips pulled back to reveal sharp fangs, and before I knew what was happening, she had me pinned against the hard, stone wall, fangs at my neck.

I froze, waiting for the pain from the bite she was about to inflict on me; there was no greater pain than a vampire bite. I would take ten broken bones before I would voluntarily take a vampire bite.

 _Maybe you should have thought of that before offering yourself up as a snack!_

"Such sweet nectar…" she purred, inhaling deeply.

Her lips were cool where they teased the skin of my neck, just above the artery that she would soon feed on. I could feel it, feel the way her body tensed, yet she tried to refrain from drinking from me. It wouldn't last long, I knew. The others, when I had been held prisoner by less attractive bloodsuckers, hadn't held back when taking a feeding from me. Yet, Lucy was. Why?

"I could drain the life out of you, right here." Her tongue suddenly slid across my skin. I shivered, but whether that be from fear or something else, I couldn't say. "Such a willing victim, too," she continued in that same lilting tone.

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard, trying to force my body to stop reacting to this woman. I shifted uncomfortably, and it wasn't until that point that I noticed the position we were in. Lucy straddled my lap, long fingers twisted in my hair, her impossibly long, sharp claw-like nails digging into my scalp in a way that was almost painful but somehow felt good too. Her lips hovered over my neck as her hands tilted my head to get the right angle. Her hips were pressing into mine in the most uncomfortable way.

 _Shit,_ I thought, as Lucy shifted in my lap, _stop moving around!_

"Your scent is most intoxicating," she breathed into my neck, causing another shiver to ripple through me.

I let out a long, slow breath, hoping she wouldn't notice how it shook slightly.

"Well, thanks, I shower once a month. I know how appealing BO must be to you vamps." I managed to get the words out without stuttering, which I felt was a small feat in itself.

 _Stop being such an asshole!_ I screamed inside my head. _First you cry like a fucking baby because she doesn't talk to you, then when she finally does you just provoke her. You really are an idiot._

"Don't be cute, boy," she warned, digging her nails in harder to where they almost pierced skin. Maybe she was like a spider and was about to anesthetize me before wrapping me up for dinner.

"So, you think I'm cute," I said as casually as I could, swallowing hard as her hips shifted once more. "Good to know your standards are so low."

She growled.

"I should kill you," she seethed, teeth barely grazing my skin. I stopped breathing in anticipation. I had gone too far, she really would kill me now, and if she didn't I was about to wish I were dead.

I felt her mouth open wider, lips still resting on my neck, and then the familiar feeling of fangs popping free from gums. She tightened her grip on my hair, and tightened her legs around my waist, before her sharp canines pierced my skin.

I cried out as her fangs bit into my neck, the pain almost unbearable as it always was, but, unlike the other times a vampire fed from me, the pain suddenly stopped, and was replaced by a euphoric high that turned my cry of pain into a moan of pleasure.

I tilted my head back more, allowing her more access to my carotid artery. She gave a slight shudder as if she, too, had been affected by the bite, and sucked hard. Her hips moved of their own accord, and I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning once more.

 _What the fuck is happening to me?_ I wondered, as her bite had me high as a damn kite. Just as soon as her fangs pierced my skin, they pulled from my neck. Her tongue slid across the bite, sealing the wound.

I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could utter a word, her lips were on mine.

If I thought her bite had been euphoric, her kiss was something else entirely. Her lips moved against mine with a fierceness I'd never seen from this woman before. I couldn't hold back the moan her kiss brought forth.

My hands were shackled to the walls, but the chains reached far enough that I was able to wrap my arms around her slim waist and pull her closer.

Something between a moan and a growl escaped her lips as her fingers tightened in my hair, lips pressing harder against mine.

I parted my lips to allow her access, but as soon as my tongue touched hers, she gave a start, and in flash she was across the room, pressed against the wall. Her eyes were wild, the red rings around her irises gleaming back at me. Her expression was something between animalistic and terrified.

"Luce," I tried, but she cringed at the word, looking physically pained.

"Don't call me that!" she seethed, and saliva dripped from her fangs.

"Did I strike a chord?" I asked sarcastically, despite the blood pumping through my veins and the fire that burned my skin.

" _Idiot_ ," she growled.

I raised an eyebrow. I'd never seen her so miffed before. It would have been amusing if I hadn't been so overwhelmed.

"I detest you."

"Really?" I gave her a look of mock horror. "And here I thought we were lovers."

She growled again, hands balled into fists, teeth bared. I winked obnoxiously, and Lucy was out the door in the blink of an eye.

When she was gone, I touched my lips where hers had been, they felt tingly and hot beneath my fingers.

 _What was that?_ I wondered, still feeling a little of that high from her bite. _That bite… why had it felt so good?_

Never had I experienced a bite from a vampire that felt like that, never had I wished for the bite to last longer, and _never_ had I been _kissed_ by a vampire and been so damn turned on that my own natural instincts began to take over. I had never felt more than revulsion for these creatures, but Lucy was different.

 _What the fuck am I going to do now?_

* * *

 **A/N: You know, this first kiss chapter was originally chapter 10. It keeps getting pushed, which means "other" chapters are also getting pushed. You poor readers... *conspiratorial wink* But anyway, what did we think? Lots of interesting info for you guys there, if you caught on. I tried to be equally subtle and obvious. I'm curious for your guys' thoughts!**

 **ThayetJade,** I belive I mentioned Igneel once or twice, though I'm not sure at the point you guys are at in the story. He's in there, though! As far as the other dragons... we'll see. I'll probably have the others in there too, or at least mention them!

 **Forever Nalu** , Actually... in this story, it's the women who are all the alphas, mated or not, which is how Levy was able to boss Gajeel around even before she'd claimed him or anything, and why they always have Queens as rulers. I wanted to test out a more female dominant society. So far, I think it's been really fun!

 **Tohka123** , Oh, how you amuse me every chapter XD Now, to answer your question (even if it was rhetorical, I couldn't tell), the scents... well, I'm mostly playing off how vampires have such a strong sense of smell, but you're right that it is stronger between mates or even potential mates. Desire, lust, things like that are particularly strong scents, I imagine XD

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	15. Chapter 14: Lucy

**A/N: Here is an extra, extra loooooooong chapter for you guys today! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Fourteen: Lucy**

What. The. Hell.

What had I just done?! Not only had I just drank blood from a human, which was taboo in our coven, but then I all but made out with the guy! I was such a moron! I couldn't keep on like this. This wasn't healthy. I had to get rid of him, take him back to the surface, or turn him or—

I stopped that thought right away. Where had that even come from? I couldn't _turn_ Natsu! That was preposterous!

 _It would solve some of your problems,_ my mind reasoned with me.

No, it wouldn't. It would only cause more problems, especially since he clearly did not want to become a vampire. There's no way I could forcibly turn him if he really didn't want to be turned. It just didn't work that way. Real life wasn't like some stupid book where you could waltz around turning whomever the hell you wished whenever and however you wished. No. Real life was a bitch. It was full of paperwork and legalities and weird-ass rituals and wills being forfeited and—it was just a bitch.

No, I wouldn't force this life on anyone. I hated having to turn someone, it was the worst part of being Queen. That was why I went through so much trouble to make sure they knew exactly what they were getting into, because once you're dead, you're dead. There is no coming back from that.

"Shit," I whispered, sliding to the floor next to his door. I could still feel the tingle on my lips where they had pressed against his. Feel the tremor that had run up my spine when his large, hotter-than-fire hands had wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer. I could still feel the way his body had reacted to mine, and the way his blood had tasted sweeter than anything I had ever tasted, like warm molasses with a spicy cinnamon edge, nearly identical to his scent.

"You're so done for," I breathed, leaning my head against the wall.

What was I to do now? It wasn't like I could just take it back and forget about it, but maybe if I was careful, then no one would be the wiser.

 _Except for him,_ I thought, inclining my head just enough to pick out what he was doing. I smiled when I realized he was reading _Macbeth_ aloud again, as he often did when he thought I wasn't listening. What he didn't know was how much I loved listening to him read, especially Shakespeare.

I groaned, shaking my head at how completely idiotic that sounded, even to myself. If anyone else knew half the things that went through my head, they would not only revoke my title, but sentence me to life in the cellars, where the crazies went.

Well, I would just have to make the best of it.

I stood and ignored the spinning in my head from lack of sleep and nutrients as I made my way across the room and into my bathroom to shower. Or I would have, but my body ached badly, and I desperately needed some sleep. I didn't give a crap what time of day it was, at this point I didn't even know.

I fell onto my bed and pulled the covers up and over my head.

…

 _I am sitting at my study table, six books laid out on the smooth wooden surface, and a stack of papers directly in front of me. The papers consist of hundreds of different questions on different topics and subtopics and sub-subtopics. My pencil is dull, but it does the job as I fill in answer after answer. I sit here for hours on end, usually without food or water or blood, until I have every sheet filled out correctly._

" _That answer is incorrect!" My father bellows at me for the tenth time today, his voice loud and echoing off the walls in the small room we currently occupy. Tears spring to my eyes as I take the sheet back and erase the answer, trying desperately to think of what the correct one could be. But my mind is hazy, as I am too sleepy to fully concentrate on the task at hand._

" _I don't remember, Daddy…" I say, voice quiet._

" _Lucy, you worthless little brat!" he yells, then the backside of his hand strikes me hard across the face, hard enough to send me flying out of my chair. Tears spill over and for a moment I just lie there on the cold, hard floor, sobbing. Until my father reaches down and pulls me up by my hair. "Get this shit inside that puny brain of yours, Lucy. When you're old enough we expect_ you _to take the throne. How the hell are you going to rule over this coven if you can't even remember a few simple laws?!"_

" _I'm sorry!" I cry, as his voice gets louder and louder, and his face gets closer and closer. His eyes are glowing red with fury, his face inches from mine, and the louder he yells the redder his face gets and the more tears I shed._

" _Apologies are for the weak. Are you weak, Lucy?"_

" _No, Daddy!" I sob. I try hard to stop the tears, because I know he hates them and it only makes him angrier when I cry, but his voice is loud and rings in my ears painfully, and his face is a terrifying mask._

 _I hate him. I hate everything about him, but I can't do anything about it. I put up with his abuse because I am young and I am weak. I can't fight against something that powerful. I don't know how to not be afraid of him. My mother always tells me that I need to be strong, be brave, but I can't. Not with him. He is my daddy, but he is a monster._

" _Tears are a sign of weakness!" He is shaking me now, hand still gripping my hair painfully hard. I bite my lip to keep from crying out again, because that will only make him more angry. "Stop this childish crying and FIGURE OUT THE DAMN ANSWER!"_

 _This time I do cry out, because he throws me across the room where I hit the wall hard before falling to the ground in a heap. I hastily wipe at my eyes and stumble to my feet before sitting back down in the hard, metal chair._

 _How long have I been here? Hours? Days? I can't remember the last time I left this room. Father leaves often, but he always locks the door when he does. He tells me I am not allowed to leave until I finish my work. Sometimes when I do he makes me do it over again because he doesn't think I get it, but I can't remember everything! There are dozens upon dozens of books on every law that governs vampire kind, and dozens more that speak of humans and their laws as well, all of which I am expected to learn._

 _I sniffle, still trying to quiet my sobs, and pull a book titled "_ Transformation Then & Now _" from the stack and crack it open. I scan the pages as fast as I can, with my father's watchful eye trained on me the entire time. His anger and impatience are palpable, it comes off of him in waves, flooding into me like a hard blast of wind, but I try to ignore it as I read, looking for the answer I thought I knew, but unable to find it._

What is the law about transformation and turning? _I think, biting my lip and narrowing my gaze on the page._

 _By the time I find the correct answer four hours has past, my father has left twice, and is currently off getting dinner while I finish filling out my paper. I do not get to eat in this room, so I know he will not be bringing me back any food. He will come back smelling like whatever Ms. Mira has made for dinner, and I will just have to endure it. Sometimes I get so hungry I pass out on the floor, but when he comes in and finds me like that I get a bad lashing for being lazy, but I can't help it, I just get so hungry and tired._

 _This time when he comes back, he's holding a leg of what smells like chicken in one hand. He is glowering at me with a terrifying expression that has me instantly cowering in my seat and holding back a whimper._

" _Why aren't you writing?" he snaps at me, closing the door behind him._

" _I finished, Daddy." I say, holding out the paper to him. He glares at me, then snatches the paper from my outstretched hand and scans it over._

" _This is a bullshit answer," he responds, before ripping the paper in half. "Do it again!"_

 _Then he leaves the room, and me, silently crying as I pull another sheet of paper in front me._

…

I was pulled from the dream by the loud scream coming from Natsu's room. I jerked awake and sat up, clutching a hand to my chest, hot tears running down my face. I wiped them away, then slipped from bed and made my way over to the door, hand pausing on the doorknob, willing myself to open it, but too afraid that he would wake and see my tears.

 _You can't go in there now,_ my mind told me. _He doesn't care about your pain, or your past._

No. He probably didn't.

Instead of going to him like I desperately wanted to do, I turned my back and instead went to take a shower. I needed to wash off his scent anyway, it clung to my skin. I could feel it, and I couldn't risk anyone else noticing it too.

After a quick shower, I pulled on a dark blue dress that hung around my knees, black stilettos, and my silver tiara, which I always wore to council meetings and around the coven. It was itchy, pulled my hair, and hurt the sides of my head where the little combs dug in painfully, but I had to wear it.

I knew without being told that I had to be in a council meeting that morning. It was that time again, the time that rolled around every six months. I wasn't looking forward to it. Each time felt worse than the last, and I swore every time it was over that I would never go back again. But, alas, I didn't have a choice but to follow orders.

I stepped outside my room and locked the door, taking a moment to just stand there and think before turning to make my way down the hall. When I did, I nearly ran right into someone coming my way.

"Gray!" I exclaimed with a start. How long had he been standing there? "What are you doing here?"

"You've been hiding up here for weeks," he said, ignoring my question. "You won't answer any of my summons."

"I've been busy." I cut him off curtly, hoping he wouldn't ask me to elaborate.

Gray sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Lucy, what's been going on? You haven't been acting like yourself for awhile now. Is all this Queen stuff getting to be too stressful for you?"

His eyes, dark blue ringed in red, bored into mine, pleading with me to just tell him something, _anything_ that would explain my strange behavior. I couldn't say a word. Natsu's life was at stake here, and I couldn't let anyone know about his presence.

"Nothing is going on, Gray," I replied, with as much sincerity as I could muster up. "Really, I've just been swamped is all. It's that time again, and I've been preparing for it."

 _Lies._ I hadn't been preparing at all. The day snuck up on me, as it always did, and I hadn't had time to prepare at all. Though, technically, I _had_ been busy, just not with vampire affairs.

"I don't believe you, Lucy." Gray's gaze stayed fixed on mine. I blinked at him in shock. "I know you," he went on, "I've known you for our whole lives. I know when you're lying to me, but if you feel the need to keep things from me, I'm sure it's for a good reason."

Tears pooled in my eyes. Gray. He was like a brother to me. He knew me better than almost anyone. He was also one of the most understanding people I knew.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He gave me a wan smile. "Just know that I'm here for you, okay? If you ever need anything."

"I know," I smiled in return.

"Can I walk you to the Council's chambers?" He offered, holding out an arm.

I giggled despite everything and looped my arm through his. "Lead the way."

…

"Alright, let's get this over with."

I sat in my usual spot, staring at the same five faces, and wearing the same annoyed expression I always did. I didn't have time for this pitstop, but I had to sit through this meeting to get all the information I could before moving on to the big meeting at the Palace.

"There are a few pressing issues they wish to discuss with you," Erza began, rifling through a stack of papers that sat in front of her. There were many, making me glad that particular job at least did not fall on my shoulders. I hated paperwork. "The first, of course, being the various acts of destruction over the last few months that have been pinned on this coven."

"Ugh," I groaned. This was why it was important to pick a good team to go out on the Day of Rest. Pick a bad one, and all hell breaks loose. "How many reports do we have this time?" I asked in a flat tone.

"Twelve, Your Majesty."

"Twelve?!" I exclaimed in disbelief, slamming a fist into the table and making several of the gathered members jump in surprise. "Are you freaking kidding me?! Twelve acts of destruction in _six months?!_ "

"That has to be some kind of record…"

"Not funny, Makarov!" I snapped. The man shrugged, unfazed by my anger. I groaned again. "What do we do about it?"

"I suppose we can offer up someone in place of the damage," Erza suggested seriously, her eyes falling on Laxus, who scoffed in response.

"If you're talking about me, Titania, then you've got another thing coming. You can't hand over a member of a coven Council." His tone held a confidence I wasn't sure he entirely possessed. Or maybe he really was that arrogant.

"Silence, boy," Makarov chided him. "Just because you are a member of this Council, does not give you immunity to the law."

"I suppose we could trade you in as a peace offering…" I mused, feigning thoughtfulness. Lilliana went visibly paler beside him and stiffened.

"Yeah, sure, Blondie." Laxus rolled his eyes, unconcerned in the least.

"This is a serious matter," Erza chastised us, glaring between us. "We need to do something so that the Vampire Elite Council will grant us a pardon."

"I hear feminine wiles are often the trick for these kinds of problems," Jellal offered in a serious tone.

I glowered at him. "Not happening!"

He shrugged.

"There must be something…" Lilliana trailed off helplessly.

I sighed. I had no idea how to placate the Vampire Elite Council for all the destruction Fairy Tail had caused over the last six months. Twelve counts was just unfathomable. What the hell was my coven doing?!

"I'll just have to plead my case with them," I decided at last. "I'll offer up our services for the next six months. That should appease them for now."

A collective groan filled the room.

"Well, what the hell else do you expect me to do?!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air. "I can't very well just give up one of our kin for a pardon! That's just cruel."

"That is the Sabertooth way," agreed Jellal.

"Exactly," I said. I had seen Sabertooth offer up their members on more than one occasion. In fact, I wasn't entirely sure how many members their coven even had anymore. They used to be even with Fairy Tail, but after all the members they'd sacrificed to the Elite Council… either they were gathering more members under the radar, or they were seriously outnumbered by us now. Which would work in our favor _if_ that were the case.

"What else?" I asked, turning my attention back to the meeting at hand.

Erza flipped through a few papers. "You need to fill this out and give it to the VEC. They need record of our newest member. Unless…" she paused in passing the sheet over. "Unless you have some reason not to…?"

"Don't be ridiculous." I snatched the paper from her. I knew what she was referring to, but as far as I could tell, Gajeel was just another vampire.

I quickly scanned over the sheet just to refresh my memory.

 _Basic Coven Member Report._

 _List all names of any new members whom the Queen has initiated into the coven in the last six months. Include full names of all members, any potential Claim or Mate requests, as well as specific dates. If the member has been issued any jobs, list those as well on the back side of this sheet. If the new member has not entered into an Act of Submission, list in specific terms as to why._

 _Fill out everything in this form in express detail and bring it with you to the next VEC meeting._

— _Lahar of the Vampire Elite Council._

I sighed and began filling out the report, glad that we had gained only one new member this term. Otherwise the paperwork would be much worse.

"There," I said once I was finished. "Now, is that all that is of importance?" Now I was starting to get impatient. After this meeting, I had to go straight to the VEC meeting to discuss all of this same damn information, only it was a hundred times worse because I had to listen to all the other covens in Fiore as well. It would last hours. Sometimes we got stuck there overnight because the sun came up before the meeting was finished, and that was just torture.

"I believe that is all for now, though the Council may have more information than we currently do," Erza stated.

I nodded and began lining up the papers I needed to take with me, then stuck them all in a folder.

"Good luck." Makarov murmured.

I nodded as I stood to leave. I would definitely need it.

"Your Majesty,"

I turned at the sound of my name, just as I was about to walk around the corner. Erza stood there, looking at me with obvious disapproval. I didn't have to guess what this expression was about. Admittedly, I had done everything I could to avoid both her and Mira over the last few weeks for this very reason.

"How was your run?" she asked. Her mouth formed a thin line, her tone flat and unamused.

I opened my mouth and was about to play ignorant when gave me a look that said she wouldn't believe me if I tried. I sighed. "Look, I needed to take care of something, okay? I'm fine! Nothing happened to me out there."

"You've been sulking in your room for two weeks," she accused. I tried not to react to that.

 _Well, I guess it's better if they think I've been holed up sulking than hiding a human pet in my bedchamber._

"I've just... had a lot on my mind," I admitted. This, at least, was true. I just couldn't tell her exactly _what_ I had on my mind.

Her gaze softened just barely. "Well, you know I'm here if you need to talk, Lucy, but please, do not run off like that again, or Mira and I will be forced to take action."

Despite the fact that I had the power here, I knew Erza wasn't lying. She may not try to overpower me, but there were certainly other ways she could make my life hell.

I nodded seriously. "Alright, Erza."

…

It was the bi-annual VEC meeting from hell and I was already wishing I could leave.

I sat at a long table at the Main Palace, with the three Big Wigs from the Vampire Elite Council, and Queens from every coven in Fiore. The atmosphere was tense and everyone was on edge.

This was the only time all the coven monarchs were in the same room all at once. We walked a thin line, everyone eyeing one another, eager to pounce and attack and show who would truly be on top, but the Council of Many Assholes would put a stop to that in the time it took one of us to blink an eye. Queens were powerful, but the Elite Council were even more so. They made the power we held look like child's play.

We each tried to hide it, but I knew we all feared it the same. We had all seen their displays of terrifying power over the years, and none of us wanted that wrath brought down upon us. Even I, who had only been attending these meeting for the last three years, knew of the power they each held, and together? They were an unstoppable force.

During these meetings, we were all given seats according to rank, which was pretty stupid if you asked me. Why put the most powerful next to the second and third most powerful, and so on? The rivalries between covens were not a secret amongst vampire kind, we all knew, Queen and subjects alike, that the covens were all trying to become bigger, better, stronger.

Currently, Fairy Tail held the number one spot being the most feared coven in Fiore, second only to the Council itself, so I sat in the spot at the right-hand side to the Council representatives.

Of course, Sabertooth was desperately trying to climb to the top and take over as the biggest baddest coven, so that bitch Minerva sat right next to me. Her coven wasn't always second best, but they had slowly climbed their way up by forcing the other covens to fear them and submit, and now she sat just barely under me in terms of power. It was close, though, with all the new members Minerva was gathering.

Next to Minerva sat the Queen of Mermaid Heel, Kagura, then some old wench from Lamia Scale whose name I could never remember, and Jenny from Blue Pegasus (along with others whose names I never cared to learn), but I had no clue how they climbed up so fast because Jenny had to be the least intimidating Queen I'd ever met. Then again, they probably said the same thing about me, but it didn't matter. Our coven had been at the top for millennia. It would take something huge to knock us down, but then, that was exactly what I was afraid of.

Once all the standard introductions had been made, Council member Lahar called the meeting to order, and I do mean that in the literal sense. I thought he liked to pretend he was a judge or something, which, okay, maybe he was, but still. He didn't have to be so dramatic about it.

One thing I found to be strange about the VEC was that it consisted of only men, whereas the covens were run entirely by women. It was a peculiar fact that never made any sense to me. If the covens all ruled with women monarchs, than why was our Elite Council ruled by men? I always wondered what that said about us.

"This meeting of the VEC and the Fiore Covens is now in session." He banged his fist on the table, creating a loud reverberance throughout the room. I tried not to scowl when I realized that I did that at my own coven meetings. I guessed I wanted to be a judge too. "What is the first order of business?"

A man with an X-shaped scar on his left cheek passed Lahar a thick stack of papers. It made a loud _thud_ when he dropped it onto the table in front of him. I held back a sigh, knowing we were going to be here well after sunrise.

"Thank you, Doranbolt," Lahar said once the man had sat back in his chair. He cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his nose to inspect the first paper. There had to be at least a hundred sheets, making me groan inwardly, and this was only the beginning.

"We'll start at the bottom this round," Lahar said, like this was something new. He _always_ started with the least threatening covens. "Cait Shelter!" he called out, and the Queen stood from her chair, giving Lahar a small bow before taking her seat once more. "Your coven hasn't done much to gain status," Lahar eyed her suspiciously, as if this were a bad thing. I actually thought some of those lamer covens were pretty smart. The less conspicuous you were, the more the bigger covens left you alone. I didn't even think about Cait Shelter for the most part, whereas Fairy Tail was brought up in every single meeting, and not for good reasons.

"No, Sir," she agreed. "We aren't trying to gain power."

"I see." Lahar gave her one last speculative look before flipping that paper over and moving on to the next. He paused on the next sheet, looking surprised, which was an emotion I had never before seen on the Council member's face. It was almost amusing. "Doranbolt, what is the meaning of this?" He gestured at the sheet. Doranbolt leaned over and glanced at it.

"A coven request, Sir," he said after a moment.

"Quatro Cerberus?" Lahar asked in disbelief. Doranbolt shrugged. "All these names are male," he added, raising an eyebrow at the other man.

"I'm aware, Sir."

"Don't you think it's a little strange that a group of vampires who are all male are requesting permission to form a coven?"

I thought it was strange that the Elite Council was made up of only men, but decided to keep that thought to myself.

Doranbolt remained unfazed. "I collect all requests, Sir, I don't go through them."

"And whom do they expect to be their Queen if they are made up of only men?" Lahar pressed, tone bordering on was the most emotion I'd seen from these two in three years. It almost made this whole boring meeting worth it.

Almost.

"I think they said the one called Bacchus would take the place of Queen," Doranbolt replied with a straight face. I coughed into my sleeve to hide a laugh and noticed a few others lips twitch as well.

"Really," Lahar deadpanned. "A male Queen. That is just…" he gestured helplessly around the table, seemingly speechless. That was also a first. "No. Just, no. Denied." He stamped the form with a red seal and placed it in a new stack. "Let's move on."

"Ah, Twilight Ogre. I see you're attempting to climb your way up the ladder." Lahar noted dryly, glancing over their sheet. "Too bad all your attempts have been unsuccessful." He glanced at their Queen as he tossed their sheet over his shoulder as if it were absolutely meaningless. It was cruel, but that was the way the VEC operated. They didn't have time for lesser covens.

"I hear they nearly passed up Blue Pegasus." Doranbolt added on their behalf.

" _Nearly_ does not count," Lahar said with finality, already glancing over the next sheet. "Queen Jenny Realight of Blue Pegasus," he took one glance at the sheet in front of him then gave a dramatic roll of his eyes. "Honestly, I don't know why your coven even bothers," he remarked.

Jenny glowered at him when he wasn't looking, clearly offended by this statement. I wasn't really surprised, though. The Blue Pegasus coven was somewhat of a joke with the rest of us. The only reason their ranks had risen so much over the years was because of Jenny. She wasn't just a pretty face, she was actually a pretty terrifying Queen when she had a reason to be, and she had worked hard to gain the position her coven was currently in, even if it was still fairly low.

The thing was, Blue Pegasus had more males than females, so they automatically fell in mental strength along with other strengths that only women possessed. However, they could, theoretically, make up for that with brute force, but… well, Jenny's lot was more for beauty than for actual violence. I honestly wasn't sure what she was trying to accomplish by creating a coven full of pretty boys. Unless she was creating a harem, in which case her choices made a lot more sense.

"Queen Ooba Babasaama," Lahar continued a minute later, eyeing the elderly Queen from Lamia Scale. "What is this about electing a new monarch?"

"My husband has passed, you see," the woman explained, "and my coven wishes to replace me with someone quite younger." She shot me a hateful glare, as if this were all my fault.

"Sherry Bandy?" Lahar asked, eyes narrowed on the sheet. "She caused quite a ruckus for us a few years back."

I remembered that. I heard stories from when I had just begun my rule. Sherry had tried to turn animals into vampires. In particular, I'd been given repeats of a giant rodent she had attempted to turn, though it was never confirmed whether or not she had succeeded in this.

"She's a troublesome girl," Queen Ooba agreed with a nod, "but I assure you she is fit to rule. She has outgrown her… past issues."

 _Past issues? Really?_

"I see," Lahar said evenly. He tapped a finger on the table in front of him as he held Queen Ooba's gaze.

He wasn't seriously considering this request, was he? From what I'd heard, Sherry was unstable and unpredictable, hardly the appropriate ruler.

I frowned as a memory popped into my head.

" _She cannot possibly rule over an entire coven!" My father yells from the end of the Council table._

" _It is Law," Makarov replies with finality. He sits at the head of the table as a sort of fill-in when my mother died._

 _I sit in a lone chair in the corner of the room, fighting to hold back the tears that threaten to consume me. I watch the others fighting with a neutral expression, despite the pain that pulls at my heart and soul._

" _This is ridiculous!" My father bellows at Makarov. The older man doesn't so much as flinch, but a few others at the table look slightly startled. "You can't ask a_ child _to take position as monarch!"_

" _Oh? Than what do you suppose we do, Mr. Heartfilia?" Makarov asks._

 _Fear threatens to cripple me as this conversation goes on. I honestly don't know what outcome I'm hoping for. On one hand, I want to respect the law and my mother's wishes, which both point to me as Queen. But, on the other hand, I'm only fifteen. I'm too young to be Queen! It terrifies me more than anything in this life ever has. I don't know if I can do this._

" _Fairy Tail Law, and The law of the Elite Council both state that in the event a Queen dies before electing a new monarch to replace her rule, that her daughter be the one to take her place," Makarov tells my father, voice growing louder, the sound echoing throughout the room. "Now, I don't like the idea of electing a child, either, but your daughter is also the daughter of our late Queen Layla Heartfilia, and that gives her the title of new Queen of Fairy Tail coven."_

" _I won't stand for it!" My father yells angrily._

" _You do not get an opinion," Erza states from her spot beside Makarov. "Law is Law. It is nonnegotiable."_

" _Outrage!" My father cries._

" _Law," Erza repeated._

" _We will give her three weeks of preparation, but that is all we can offer." Makarov's eyes turn my way and meets mine. "Lucy, I am deeply sorry for your loss, and I apologize for having to ask this of you, but I must ask that you take your mother's place as Queen. Unless you can give me some reason as to why you would be incapable?" He raised an eyebrow, as if in question._

He's giving you an out! _I realize. I take a moment to consider, my gaze flitting about the room, taking in the Council members as well as my father._

" _I have no reason to deny my crown," I say._

I sighed as the memory faded. Maybe I was too quick to judge. I didn't know anything about this girl except what I'd been told from outside sources. Maybe she would make a good ruler. She had to be better than Minerva at the very least.

 _Natsu would make a better Queen than her,_ I thought, then had to fight to hide the amusement from my face.

"She has gone through extensive testing." Queen Ooba assured him when Lahar stayed quiet.

Finally, after what felt like an hour, he sighed. "I will consider this change in monarchy for the next meeting. In the meantime, make sure you prepare her, and bring her with you to the next meeting."

Queen Ooba nodded and sat back down after giving a small bow of respect.

 _Wow,_ I thought. _I had no idea choosing a new monarch was so difficult._

When I had taken over the monarchy from my mother it had been far less complicated. I guessed I got lucky because I was a direct descendent, and the previous Queen had died. That was significantly different than a Queen simply retiring.

"Next," Lahar glanced over his sheet. "Ah, Mermaid Heel. Queen Kagura Mikazuchi. Your group of female coven members has far exceeded those below you. You are well on your way to becoming stronger and more known throughout Fiore."

I frowned, wondering what Mermaid Heel had done to gain praise from Lahar. It took a lot to earn that, and my coven certainly hadn't been praised for more than being the most feared in quite some time, and that wasn't always a compliment.

"Thank you, Sir." Queen Kagura replied humbly.

"I see here that your coven has been actively searching for the Reginae Caeli?" Lahar asked eyebrows raised in surprise.

I froze and had to work extra hard to keep the shock off my face.

 _The Reginae Caeli._

No. If Mermaid Heel was searching for the Reginae Caeli, that meant other covens probably were as well, and that was not good.

"Sabertooth!" Lahar suddenly barked out, making Minerva and me jump. "Queen Minerva Orland," Lahar's tone spoke legions about his opinion on this particular coven, or perhaps just Minerva herself. It was full of disdain and edged in annoyance. "I have received several complaints from other covens about your people terrorizing them."

Minerva shrugged, unconcerned. "My coven and I do not care about propriety."

"Obviously," Lahar deadpanned. I couldn't tell from his expression whether he was angered by this or not. He narrowed his eyes at Minerva and tapped a finger against his chin in thought. I wondered if she was about to be praised or reprimanded. "Your coven will be on the radar of all the surrounding covens," he said in a warning tone.

Minerva shrugged.

Lahar shook his head and flipped to a new sheet, then arched an eyebrow at me. I kept my expression blank, revealing nothing.

 _Twelve counts,_ Erza had said.

"I don't even know where to start," Lahar finally began, then sighed in exasperation. "Property damage, accounts of terrified citizens from a nearby village, something about a cake factory blowing up?"

 _Cake factory?_ I nearly face-palmed. That one could have been the fault of only one vampire: Erza.

 _Seriously?_ I thought.

Aloud I said, "My coven has been rather… active of late."

Lahar narrowed his eyes. "Twelve counts?" he asked in a flat tone.

I shrugged, unsure what to say in my coven's defense.

"Your youth does not give you immunity in dealing with the consequences of your coven's actions," he told me. I was afraid of that, but said nothing in return. "You took the oath to become Queen of your coven, whether you wanted to or not, and that coven and all its members are _your_ responsibility now."

"Yes, Sir," I replied in a quiet tone, "and I am more than willing to offer you up the service of myself and my coven for the next six months in exchange for our pardon."

I hoped my tone was convincing, but his neutral expression gave little away to his inner thoughts. Twelve counts was extreme, even for Fairy Tail, and he could very well lock my ass up right here and now. Or worse, plunge a stake through my heart, and there would be nothing I could do about it.

Instead, he heaved another heavy sigh and gestured to someone behind him. A short man stepped forward and offered Lahar a red stamp. I gulped, waiting for him to issue an order for my death.

"Queen Lucy Heartfilia," he said, raising the stamp above the Fairy Tail sheet of paper. "You are hereby under the service of the Vampire Elite Council." He stamped the paper with enough force to send a loud _thud_ throughout the room. "Your coven is on probation until the next VEC meeting, so be wary of their actions," he warned.

I nodded, swallowing down the lump in my throat. I wouldn't die today. That much was a relief. However, being under the Council's watchful eye might prove to be worse.

"Now, are there any changes to the coven rosters we should be made aware of?" Lahar asked casually, as if nothing had just happened. A few hands raised in the air, including mine after the moment of shock passed.

Since I was near the head, I was allowed to precede the others. I told the Council about the newest addition to my coven, feeling only a little smug that we had a new, powerful vampire on our side. However, before I could feel too smug, Minerva's hand shot up from beside me.

"Your Highness," she said, speaking to Lahar. "I do not have a roster change, exactly, but I do have a complaint." Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard every time I heard it, and I wished someone would just put a stake in her heart already and put the rest of us out of our misery.

"Do go on, Queen Minerva." Lahar gestured at her to continue, expression radiating boredom.

"You see, Your Highness, my coven has recently been… robbed."

"What do you mean, 'robbed'?" Lahar asked with a frown.

I could picture her trademark sinister smile, but kept my gaze firmly narrowed on the table in front of me, waiting for her to hurry the hell up so we could get on with this wretched meeting and get out of here before the sun came up.

"Well, we were acting on the Day of Rest, as is our right, and came across the most delicious human _pet_." She paused, and I felt my stomach twist. "But, you see, during the last Day of Rest, our little pet seems to have… gone missing. When we searched our lands for his scent, we found a very familiar and unpleasant scent in his place."

"Yes, what was it?" Doranbolt spoke up this time, waving an impatient hand.

"It seems a Fairy was on our lands during the Day of Rest and stole what was rightfully ours, and I want it back."

If I wasn't already ghostly pale, I would have been then. As it was, I could feel myself sweating, and I knew all gazes had fallen on me the moment Minerva uttered the word "Fairy."

 _Shit! How did she find out?!_

I worked to keep my face blank and indifferent, bored even, as I completely ignored the accusing gazes that bored into my head from all angles. There was no proof of this, she couldn't possibly lay claim on me without proper evidence.

"Queen Lucy," Lahar spoke up, and I turned my gaze to his, hoping I looked neutral and not guilty as all hell. "Is the claim laid against you true?"

"I couldn't possibly know what she is speaking of," I replied in a monotone. He narrowed his gaze, clearly not believing me, or perhaps just searching my face for flaws.

"Your scent was all over our lands!" Minerva spat the accusation, fangs bared, "and his scent is on you right now. I can smell him on you. I spent years feeding on that boy, I know his scent like that of my own kin!"

This time I couldn't hide the jerk of surprise my body gave. Could she really smell his scent on me? I thought I had scrubbed every last trace of him from my body. All I had done was feed on him briefly, his scent couldn't possibly be that ingrained in me already.

"Yes," she went on, seeing she had me. "You can't hide the traces of human blood flowing through your veins so easily. Give him back, he is property of Sabertooth."

"He's just a boy!" I exclaimed, horrified at the idea of this horrible woman getting her hands on Natsu. I knew what his nightmares were about, I knew the name he uttered in his sleep, fearfully, when a nightmare raged on inside of his head. "and he isn't anyone's property. He's a living, breathing thing."

Minerva stood from her chair. "Why you little bitch! You will give me back what is mine, or I will rip your head right off your body!"

"ENOUGH!"

Minerva and I winced as one at the force of that command, and immediately Minerva fell back into her chair.

"There will be no more talk on this matter!" Lahar was yelling now, his voice echoing off the wall of the high-domed ceiling. I winced as the sound reverberated through my eardrums. "This is not the place to discuss human matters. Do you think we give a damn about lowly humans? We do not! If you want your human back, you discuss it with Ms. Heartfilia yourself, you do not drag your problems into our Council meeting. Now, if that is settled, let us get back to more important matters."

Once the meeting was finally over, I made haste getting out of there, but as soon as I was outside the walls of the Palace, Minerva had me pinned to the ground, her gaze fixed on mine and teeth bared, fangs dripping with saliva.

"I am going to kill you _and_ take over your pathetic excuse for a coven. Sabertooth _will_ be number one. Others will fear us and they will—"

In a flash, I flipped us completely over so that I now held _her_ to the ground, teeth bared in the same way hers had been. She gaped in surprise.

"There's a reason Fairy Tail is at the top, Minerva," I snarled, "because our power cannot be surpassed. Your pathetic guild can't even hope to stand up to our power. I'll be keeping your little pet, and there's nothing you can do about it."

She snarled at me and tried to fight back, but I was strong and held an inner power she couldn't match if she tried. My gaze bored into hers until finally she looked away, admitting defeat.

I pushed off of her, turning my back on her as I stood in the courtyard in front of the Palace, no longer fearful of attack.

"It was nice to see you, Minerva, but I do hope to never repeat this experience." I glanced over my shoulder. "I do find your scent to be most unpleasant."

She seethed, silently snarling at me. I sent her a wink, then turned and ran full-force back to my coven.

…

"How'd the meeting go?"

I sat with Levy in the library, both of us curled up on the sofa there with mugs of hot tea in hand.

"Unpleasant as always," I replied, though I didn't elaborate on the why.

"I can't even imagine." Levy made a face.

I giggled. "Yeah, it was long and boring as hell," I said, then took a sip of my tea. "Sabertooth really hates us."

"Still?" Levy asked, frowning slightly. She didn't know the full story, or understand why the covens all fought so hard to stay on top, but she knew that Sabertooth had been our enemy for a while now, probably since the beginning of time.

I nodded at her question. "Yes. It's pretty obvious they're going to plan a strike soon."

Levy's eyes bugged. "Really? Did they say that?"

I shook my head. "No, not in explicit terms, but during the last Day of Rest, Erik overheard a few things."

I relayed what little information we had overheard, how Sabertooth was inching closer and closer to our lands, and abducting humans to turn into more soldiers, and even going so far as to kill off other vampires who stood in their way.

Then there was that incident with Minerva earlier today. I had no doubt that they would stage an attack sooner or later, I just didn't know when that would be.

"Wow," Levy said when I had finished. "So, what are you going to do?"

I thought about that for a minute. "I guess the only thing I _can_ do," I replied. "Plan a counterattack."

* * *

 **A/N:** I love all the response from the last chapter! You guys really liked that one! It is definitely one of my favorite chapters. I like steamy chapters XD Anyway, what did you all think of this one? There was a lot of politics going on, but I tried to make it fun! I threw in humor where I could. I liked the part where Quatro Cerberus tried to get permission to become a coven with Bacchus as their Queen, and how horrified Lahar was *laughs* And Doranbolt was so casual XD What was _your_ favorite part?

* * *

 **Grizzly98** , Nice to see you back around, friend! Haven't seen you 'round these parts for awhile.

 **Insane-As-The-Mind** , I love when you guys have theories! It makes this so much more fun!

 **Crimsonlink310** , I had a feeling you would have something to say about that last chapter, Crimson. The fact that Natsu is reading _Macbeth_ was a gag, really. My best friend loves Midnight/Macbeth of the Oracion Seis, so I threw that in for her benefit more than anything else. Plus, Natsu wasn't really given many options as far as reading material goes. Lucy supplied him with random books from her personal library, and I feel she's a big fan of the classics. It fits her character, at least in this role. He _does_ work out, I just probably haven't mentioned it much. I'll have to throw that in there if I don't already have it.

Okay, this personality thing makes total sense in my mind. He isn't being an asshole just because he's gone suddenly bipolar. He's experiencing all these new emotions and feelings that he never felt while in Sabertooth. He doesn't want to be attracted to a vampire (I'm sure I have mentioned this already, but I may have just thought it). Also, there is more to it than that for the two of them. He doesn't want to like her, so he lashes out, but then he realizes what he's doing and tries to correct it in his own Natsu way. Sometimes it works, sometimes he just comes off as even more insensitive. He's got a complicated persona in this world. I had to put him in a less powerful role than he normally is, so his personality is taking the brunt of that. He'll straighten out soon, no worries. I had to adjust some characters to fit this world, but I tried to stay as true to themselves as possible. I don't mind when you guys point out where I've gone wrong, though! I can always make corrections and adjustments.

 _"_ _Also now that Lucy has drunk Natsu's blood, how will things change between them?"_ Excellent question... Keep that one in mind.

In regards to Lucy's dominant side... You're right, in a sense. Lucy could stand to be a little more dominant. She may be showing weakness in front of this poor, pathetic human but, at the same time, it's different in their circumstances. Drinking human blood is somewhat taboo, at least in some of the more civilized covens. Fairy Tail coven does not partake in human blood, so Lucy has to show some restraint. Also, she knows drinking his blood will have consequences, as you saw in this chapter. As to why her own coven has yet to notice anything different, that's a bit of a gray area, to be honest. They haven't had human blood in millennia, so the scents aren't as familiar as they would be to someone from Sabertooth. And, no one apart from Lucy has ever smelled Natsu before, so they wouldn't immediately jump to the conclusion that "Oh, our Queen has a human!" Maybe they should, but like I said, it's a gray area. It works, barely. But just you wait, the future may surprise you. I'm thirty chapters ahead of you guys and this entire story is completely plotted out. It may have a plot hole here and there, but I think it will all fall together.

Yes, she doesn't want him to call her "Luce," which was interesting to play around with since that's usually Natsu's go-to nickname in every fanfiction out here. In this case, however, it's a little different. You shall see why...

 **FairyTailxFanGirl** , Bingo ;-) That's almost exactly why she freaked out.

 **Forever Nalu** , Hahaha, who knew XD She doesn't want to let that fine piece of *cough, cough* Ehem, boy, out of her sights. XD

 **Nameless Panda** , I appreciate that! I actually spent a great deal of time searching for songs I thought would fit. Everyone seemed to really like that shower scene, which I love because that's one of my favorite little mini-fillers XD

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	16. Chapter 15: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Fifteen: Natsu**

Two days. That's how long it was since she'd come to see me. During our last encounter, she'd fed on me and those cool lips had pressed against mine. I wasn't sure what it was about her that had such an affect on me, but I wasn't about to complain. Her touch had me reeling, and set my blood on fire.

Now my body yearned for that bite, for her touch. The pain was almost physical. I needed her and she wasn't here. It was like a piece of my very soul had been ripped away from me, becoming more and more painful the longer she stayed away.

That could have just been the hunger, though.

I pulled one of the thick volumes into my lap to read—because I was bored as fuck and needed _something_ to do—but after only a few pages I gave up and shut the book with a loud thud.

"I'm bored as fuck," I said aloud because no one was around and I didn't care. "And if I have to read _Macbeth_ one more time, I'm going to start singing Twinkle Twinkle until the walls throw up." That sounded logical to me, except I hated that song. "Maybe I'll sing _Vampire Blues_ again." I pitched my voice louder this time, hoping to catch the attention of a certain blonde who I was most definitely _not_ thinking of just then.

Oh no, I wasn't thinking about the way her breasts looked larger than life in those short as fuck dresses, or the fact that her waist was perfect for me to hold. Or how her ruby red lips had me drooling…

 _Stop it, Natsu, she is a bloodsucking demon!_

I scowled and grabbed the stupid book that I had already read and re-read and re-re-read so many times I could almost say every line by heart. Maybe I would put on a production of _Macbeth;_ there wasn't anything better to do, after all.

 _No._

Grinning evilly, I opened the book and began to tear out pages, then balled them up and tossed them into a corner of the room, pretending to make epic three-point shots.

"What are you doing?"

My head whipped around so fast at the sound of her voice that I saw stars dancing in my vision and the book dropped from my hands. I blinked, trying to bring her into focus, unwilling to believe that she actually stood before me.

She was a vision, clad in a short blue dress and heels, hair flowing freely down her back, and I could just make out the scent of some kind of flower.

"Luce—" I started, but she cut me off with a growl and a glare.

"I told you not to call me that!" Her voice was a low growl, scary, even for her. It was an unfair contradiction that she have such angelic beauty, yet posses so much evil and hatred. The world was a cruel place.

"Well, sorry about that, _babe_ , but I just couldn't help myself." Snarkiness, to hide the emotions raging inside of me.

She growled again, and I thought for sure she would fly across the room and attack me, drink my blood as she had the last time I'd provoked her, but no. She stayed where she was, standing straight as a board in the doorway.

"You're such a nuisance!" she snapped, voice clearly agitated.

"Then get rid of me," I challenged her, and watched as her eyes narrowed into slits. "End my life and rid yourself of all this torment. Save yourself the trouble of having to put up with a lowly human."

"Is that what you think?" she asked in low voice.

"Well, what else is there to think?" I shrugged. "Besides, it's not like you haven't made your dislike of me perfectly obvious. It's clear that you despise me."

That time she did attack me, coming at me so fast I didn't even realize she had moved until my back cracked painfully against the wall. I winced.

"You're an idiot," she spat, fangs gleaming with the saliva that dripped from them. I probably shouldn't have been as turned on as I was, but well, when a scantily-clad woman with a large bust sat in your lap, how could you _not_ be?

"An idiot, huh? I think your insults are starting to lose their punch. Maybe I could help you to come up with some better ones," I offered, watching her expression grow more and more murderous as I went on. "I do have some pretty good ones up in here." I tapped my forehead.

"You really are an idiot," she repeated, tone almost pitying now, as if she felt bad for me.

I narrowed my eyes back at her, matching her glare-for-glare.

"You will regret ever looking me in the eyes," she promised, to which I replied with a raised brow and an unconcerned smirk.

"Yeah? What are you gonna do about it, _Luce_?" I purposely emphasized the last word, just to get under her skin.

 _Shut up, idiot!_ I yelled inside my head. What was the purpose of riling up the Demon Queen? Why was I—

" _Damn you_ ," she seethed, then gripped my head in her sharp claws and bit into my neck.

I grunted at the feel of fangs ripping my skin open, but the feeling was soon replaced by a familiar wave of euphoria that I didn't think I could ever get enough of.

I let out a soft moan as her lips moved against my skin, and her hands kneaded my scalp in an almost gentle way—if it weren't for the long nails she always kept at a sharp point.

My hands found her waist, and my fingers dug into the skin there, much as hers were doing with my scalp. I let one hand slide around to her back and pulled her closer, while the other drifted down to slide against the smooth skin of her exposed thigh.

She let out a groan and pulled back from my neck, sealing the wound by licking the entry, then closing her mouth over mine.

I slid my hand up her back and into her hair, which felt soft as silk between my fingers, then grabbed a fistful of it and yanked, hard. She let out a hiss, which quickly turned into a moan as my mouth clamped down on her jaw. I kissed down her neck, then let my teeth bite hard into the skin where her carotid artery would be (which I was intimately familiar with, thanks to all the bites I'd gotten over the past three years). I sucked at the skin there, mimicking what she had done to me only a moment ago.

Her moan was long and loud, and her body gave an involuntary shake as my mouth and tongue glided over the surface of her unmarked skin. Her fingernails dug painfully into my scalp but I ignored that, instead letting my own fingernails, though significantly duller, dig into her upper thigh, eliciting an almost animalistic cry from her.

Suddenly, she pulled her fingers from my hair and reached behind me. For a moment, I thought she was about to snap my arms off, by the murderous look she still held in her eyes, but it wasn't my arms she gripped in tight fists—it was my chains.

She gave a hard yank, and the chains that had been so securely fastened into the wall came free, though the shackles still bound my wrists. She gripped my shirt next and pulled, falling backward as she did so that I now lay on top of her. Her hands found my face again and pulled my lips forcibly back on hers.

I didn't even have time to react to the fact that I was now technically free—my chains were no longer fastened to the wall, and I was fairly certain that she hadn't locked the door when she'd come in. Her lips were hard on mine, and her long legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer.

"Shit," I breathed, as my member pressed against her. It throbbed between us, and Lucy moaned again, the sound vibrating through her body, all the way down to her core, which I was pressed firmly against.

Her lips parted and her tongue pushed against my lips, demanding entrance. I parted my lips and allowed her access, which she immediately took advantage of, slipping her tongue inside and twisting around mine.

I ground against her, savoring the delicious moans that escaped her each time I repeated the action. She continued to battle with my tongue, but I wasn't giving in so easily. I sucked her tongue, then gave it a light nip.

She hissed through her teeth and tightened her legs around me.

She pulled back, finally surrendering to this particular battle, then moved her lips to my neck once more.

I slid a hand under her dress, up to her back, then dug my nails hard into her skin. She groaned and bit into my neck, immediately filling me with a high that only added to this already exotic experience.

My fingers traveled down to a thin pair of underwear, some kind of lacy thong if I had to guess. My fingers wrapped around it, then gave a hard yank. The fabric tore away and I tossed it across the room. The chains on my wrists jangled loudly as I did so, catching Lucy's attention at once.

She growled in irritation and wrapped a hand around one of the shackles. It cracked under her strong grip and fell away. She repeated the action with the other wrist, and for the first time in months— _years_ — my wrists were free.

I tried not to think of the fact that she had literally just crushed a thick, metal shackle in her bare hand as I returned to kneading her soft skin.

Despite the fact that her skin was cool, bordering on cold, it seemed to heat up beneath my touch, like my body temperature was slowly affecting hers as well, which was strange to think about.

Or, it would have been, had her lips not been sucking at my neck and her nails scraping down my back in the most arousing way.

She pulled back slightly, though didn't close the wound just yet.

"Sweet Mavis, why is your blood such a damn aphrodisiac?" she purred into my skin.

I didn't know what that meant, but I had a pretty good idea that it was a good thing.

I shivered as her fangs teased my skin. I could feel the blood start to run down my neck, then her tongue slid across it and closed the fresh bite she had made.

I twisted my neck to work out a kink, then dropped my lips onto her throat as my fingers grazed the skin of her upper thigh.

Her hands slid up my shirt and slipped it off before digging her nails into my skin so hard I was certain she drew blood. I grunted, as both pain and pleasure spread through me, and pulled back from her neck.

" _Lucy_ ," I growled, and felt her shiver in response. I captured her mouth with mine and slid my fingers along her clit, eliciting a mewling response from her that was more kittenish than vampirish, which would have been amusing had she not been _so fucking wet_ as my fingers slid along her. Her long legs tightened around me and her hips bucked against my hand, willing me to go even farther.

I willingly obliged, sliding a finger inside of her and feeling that warmth, a sharp contrast to her cold skin. She moaned in response and writhed beneath me. I added another finger and swirled them inside her, pushing against her walls until I got the reactions I wanted.

"Nats-nng…" she groaned loudly and gripped my back with her nails, desperately pulling me closer. "Oh, fu-mmm."

My lips closed over hers in a crushing kiss, effectively cutting off her words.

She moved her hands down my back and started pushing down the pants I wore. In a matter of seconds, we had them off and tossed across the room.

"Fuck," I breathed, at the feel of her bare flesh pressed against mine. Except…

I slid my hands out of her warm folds and up her body, taking the dress with them until it slid off her, then let it fall somewhere beside us.

"Fuck, you're gorgeous."

I clamped onto one of her large breasts, which were bare thanks to her lack of bra, and sucked it hard.

"Shit," she moaned, body writhing, begging me to take more, take all of it.

Reaching down to grip my already hard member, I positioned myself at her entrance, and when no protests came I plunged into her.

She hissed a sharp breath through her teeth and went suddenly stiff. It was enough to surprise me and give me pause.

I opened my eyes and blinked away the lust that clouded my vision, gazing down at her.

Her eyes were pinched shut tight, teeth—with fangs retracted—clamped onto her bottom lip so hard I was certain it would draw blood. Her body was shaking slightly, though this was only noticeable because we were so pressed together and she had a death grip on my back as she clung to me.

 _She's a virgin,_ I realized with some shock. That I had not been expecting. A vampire virgin? An evil creature of the night that had yet to be deflowered just seemed so ridiculous it was almost laughable.

A soft chuckle escaped me before I could stop it and her eyes popped open, venom instantly pouring from them.

"What's so funny?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Nothing." I shot her a winning smile, to which she merely growled at. I sighed. "It's just funny is all. I didn't expect you to be…. _you know_ …" I trailed off, suddenly feeling like a huge idiot for laughing.

"No, I don't know," she replied slowly. "Why don't you enlighten me?"

"Well… uh…" I scratched my head with my free hand, feeling uncomfortable under her steely gaze. "I just… didn't expect you to be… an unplucked flower. That's all."

She blinked up at me, and if her eyes weren't red before they sure were now.

I flinched under her murderous glare.

 _Idiot! That's what happens when you get cozy with a creature of darkness!_

"An unplucked flower?" she repeated in a slow, flat tone. "Were you expecting me to be some kind of slut or something?"

"No! Not at all!" I assured her hastily. "I just—"

Before I could so much as blink she flipped us over so that she now hovered over me, fangs bared as she seethed, the red in her eyes flashing—if that was even possible, it could have been a trick of the lighting.

"Stupid boy," she growled, twisting her hips in a way that had me growling in a different sort of way. "Just because I'm a vampire, doesn't mean I've been sleeping around."

She shifted slightly, then slammed her hips back down.

" _Fuuuuck._ " I moaned, unable to stop myself from the pleasure she brought forth, though Lucy didn't appear to be as immune as she was trying to make me think she was. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her teeth clamped down on her bottom lip once more. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she repeated the action.

Before she could start threatening me again, I sat up with a speed that nearly matched hers, and brought our lips together. My distraction worked, as her body relaxed into mine, arms folding around my neck, fangs retracting once more.

She moved on top of me, pulling back before slamming into me again, keeping up a steady rhythm that quickly gained speed and force.

"Mmm," she moaned, then pushed me hard onto my back before bringing her lips back down to mine and continuing her movements.

My hands slid into her hair, which fell around us like a curtain and tangled in the silky waves there, pulling gently to move her face into a better angle.

Her nails raked down my skin, painfully so, and I was sure I would have scars in the morning, but it just felt _so damn good_ in the moment that I didn't even care. A few more scars wouldn't hurt anyway, I was already full of them.

I moved my hands from her hair, letting it fall back around us, and ran my fingers lightly down her back. She shivered, and her fingers moved into a gentler touch to match my own.

I splayed my hands out on her back and pulled her closer, still, fingers kneading into her skin, feeling every curve, every inch of bare skin. She came alive under my touch, which was saying something considering she was technically dead (undead?).

She pulled from the endless kiss and buried her face in my neck, only this time she didn't bite me, she simply rested her head there as our bodies continued to move as one, coming closer and closer to completion.

My head was spinning with all these new sensations running through it. I'd never felt anything like I did when I was with Lucy, and it wasn't just this physical act. No matter how much I tried to tell myself that she was an evil creature from hell, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that what I was feeling wasn't love, I just couldn't seem to believe it. There was an undeniable connection between us, made clearer now more than ever, and even though I knew deep down that nothing could ever really happen between us, not in the long-term anyway, I could no longer deny the feelings I had for this woman.

 _Like or not, Natsu, you're in love with a vampire—a freaking bloodsucker._

I didn't even care.

As our bodies came together one last time, a hard, almost painful thrust, all of those emotions came pouring out, and I cried out her name, clinging to her as if afraid she might disappear from me.

After our bodies calmed down a bit, and Lucy's head lay against my chest, body still wrapped around mine, limbs entangled, was when I finally noticed something that I probably should have a long time ago, but well, I wasn't always the most observant type…

"You… don't breathe?" I whispered, holding my own breath to listen for the sounds of hers, or the feel of her chest rising and falling against mine.

Nothing.

"...No," she murmured, voice low, reluctant.

I listened for another moment.

"And… your heart doesn't beat." Not a question, but not exactly a statement, either.

"No."

"Never?"

"Breath has never left my body, Natsu," she said, voice tired. "I _can_ breathe, but it isn't necessary."

"That's so strange," I commented, feeling my own heart beating erratically after what we had just done. Her chest was quiet—still. "But, your skin isn't cold, shouldn't it be cold if your heart isn't pumping blood through your veins?"

She shifted so that she was propped up on an elbow, gazing down at me with those gleaming red eyes. My own eyes scanned her face, taking in every feature. She looked so _normal_ , so like every other human I'd known before getting kidnapped by the Sabertooth coven, and then Lucy's coven.

 _If it weren't for those eyes_ …

"Natsu, my skin _is_ cold." I blinked, confused, and she continued. "The only one who can feel any sort of heat from my body is you, Natsu."

I was taken aback by that comment.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, I saw a somber look in them. "There's… something about _you,_ specifically, that makes my body heat, to an extent. Only you," she reiterated.

"But—how?"

She shrugged. "It has something to do with… um, soulmates?" she whispered the last word, and I frowned at her questioning tone.

"Soulmates?" I repeated. "But, you're a vampire," I pointed out, in case she didn't already know.

"I know."

"And, I'm a human." I pointed at myself, and she rolled her eyes in a dramatic fashion.

"Yes, I'm aware of what you are, Natsu," she said, "but think about it. Do you recall getting bitten while you were held in Sabertooth?"

I thought about that for a moment and shuddered at the memories that surfaced. The pain, so excruciating that I would pass out in a matter of seconds—if I was that lucky.

"Yes," I whispered.

"It was painful, wasn't it." Not a question—she knew; her eyes told me she knew of this pain.

"It was," I agreed in a thick voice, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat.

"But, it's not painful when _I_ bite you, is it?" she pressed, parting her lips to show her fangs, then running her tongue across them for emphasis. I didn't find that to be very amusing.

"...No," I admitted after a long pause. Her bite wasn't painful at all—it was heavenly.

"That's why, because we're—" she cut herself off with a flinch, biting down hard on her lip to stop herself from saying any more.

"Soulmates," I finished for her, feeling my face go pale. "That doesn't make any sense!" I exclaimed, bringing my hands up to cover my eyes.

"That's what I thought," she agreed. "After that first day, when I fed on you? I had to do some serious research."

"Is that why you have been avoiding me like the plague?" I deadpanned. I pulled my hands from my eyes to see an almost amused smirk on her lips. It was the closest thing to real emotion that I'd ever seen on her, besides anger and hatred, that is.

"I wasn't avoiding you, it's too suspicious for me to be hanging out down here all the time. I have many duties to attend to, you know."

"Oh right, my bad. I forgot you were the almighty Queen of this hellhole." My voice dripped with sarcasm.

Her expression told me that I'd better watch what I say if I wanted to live.

I swallowed.

"Yes, I am the Queen of this coven," she confirmed, "but with that comes a lot of responsibility, and…" she bit her lip again and turned away from me to avoid my eyes, "you aren't technically allowed to be here…" she finished, voice so low I had to strain to hear it.

I furrowed my brows at that. "Why not? Wait," a thought suddenly occurred to me, "is _that_ why you keep me in your personal bedchamber? And why no one else has ever come down here to bring me food or something? Because humans aren't allowed here?"

It wasn't until I had stopped talking that I'd noticed the faint growl coming from her lips, a sure sign that she was agitated. She still avoided my eyes, but even so, I could just make out the guilty expression she tried to hide from me.

 _How curious,_ I thought with a frown.

"...yes," she finally admitted. "That's correct."

"So, why am I here, then?"

"Because I couldn't just leave you out there to die!" she snapped, finally shifting her gaze back on mine. Her eyes watered like she was going to cry. Guilt filled me, but I tried to squash it down in order to get some answers—she was never this talkative, normally.

"So, why don't you let me go now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She narrowed her gaze at the challenge in my voice. "Don't be ridiculous," she spat. "You can't leave, now."

"Why not?" my voice was soft, but I knew she heard it.

She growled and pushed away from me, flashing across the room in the blink of an eye, already smoothing out her dress around her thighs.

I gaped. How had she done that so fast? Thinking back to our act of lovemaking, or whatever the hell it had been, I was honestly a little surprised that she hadn't broken me in half.

"No more questions," she said in a warning tone. Her back was to me as she stood in the now-open doorway. I could just make out the slight tremble in her body. "I'm leaving now. I'll be back…" but she didn't finish that sentence. Instead, she slammed the door shut and disappeared from sight.

After a long moment of silence, I thought, _I wonder if she'll remember that she took off my shackles._

* * *

 **Tohka123** , Thank you for all your feedback!

 **sassykitten1701** , Hahaha, ooooh, I can't reveal all my secrets, now XD

 **ThayetJade** , That's a great question. I think he either doesn't eat at all, or Lucy brings him something and then quickly leaves. It depends on the day, I suppose.

 **Battleprincess** , Wow! Thank you for saying all of that! I'm impressed that you read all of that at once! I'm so happy you like it!

 **Forever Nalu** , Lmao, that was pretty fun to write XD Thank you for sharing your favorite part! That makes me happy! You're right about Lucy, too. Like, come on, girl, just keep your cool and ignore that Saber-bitch! Oh, and very interesting theories about the VEC XD

 **Guest** , You are the only person so far to point out anything about the Reginae Caeli, so good eye. And yes, you shall wait and see...

It isn't a vampire law that states you cannot keep humans so much as a coven law. Or, perhaps it is more of a moral thing. Sabertooth isn't very high on morals, which is why they tend to feed on humans when the other covens may not. Holding a human prisoner is taboo, I suppose, but not technically illegal, which is how Minerva could get away with admitting to keeping Natsu all that time. Their lands extend to the surface areas as well. There are invisible lines that dictate where each coven's land is, kind of like how all the states in the US are divided. The only reason Lucy didn't get in huge trouble for going on another coven's lands, was because it was the Day of Rest. So the VEC didn't give a crap.

Excellent question. It is rather strange that there is an elite council made up of men in this society. Fishy indeed...

Members who get offered up to the VEC don't usually get to live long enough to make a difference lol. So... yeah. I guess they could keep some as servants, but most of them just get a nice, pointy stake to the heart. As far as Jiemma being the one behind all of that... He does have a lot of influence, even though Minerva is Queen and should hold more power than anyone else in their coven. But some male vampires, like Jiemma and Makarov, hold more power than most, even some women. If you recall, Lucy mentioned how Makarov has never been fully submitted to her. He can still resist her if he really makes an effort to do so. It's the same with Jiemma. And concerning your theory about "stacking the Council with your own members," well, that one may or may not be true. But that is an intriguing theory I haven't heard yet. I love when you all theorize XD

 **Guest** , Yes! Mavis was the first Queen of Fairy Tail coven, just as she was First Master! XD I guess I haven't mentioned that yet, but it'll come up eventually!

No daywalkers, lol. Day-walking makes you turn to dust, haha.

Drag Queen Bacchus *dies laughing* That's too great of a visual, hahaha.

Gotta protect your delicious pet from the psycho queen, Luce! XD

 **Crimsonlink310** , Haha, well... I wasn't sure which guest review was yours, but I responded to both. I'm inclined to lean more toward the first one because it was more thorough seems more like your style, but the second one had your sign-out so now I don't know lol.

* * *

 **FTH followers:** I know there are a few of you who also read my Fairy Tail High story, so I just wanted to quickly update that I was out of town this past week and wasn't able to work on another chapter. I will TRY to get one done this week, but there are no guarentees. I'll try my best, though!

Stele.


	17. Chapter 16: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Sixteen: Lucy**

I stood under the hot stream of water in my shower, letting the water pour over my face and wash away the tears that spilled from my eyes; the loud rush of water concealed the sobs that wracked my body. My hands were wrapped tightly around my chest, squeezing the pain away, but it wasn't enough.

Why, _why_ had I done that? I was so ridiculously stupid! It was bad enough that I had bitten him, but _sleeping_ with him, with a _human_? That was just too screwed up to even comprehend.

"Dammit!" I smacked a hand against the wall of the shower. There was no way my kin wouldn't notice his scent on me now. It was all over me, it was inside of me and it was a part of me. I'd never be rid of it now. My only hope was that they wouldn't figure out where he was.

 _Let him go_.

My eyes popped open at the thought. Water flooded my vision but I barely noticed.

Let him go? Could I do that? Just take him to the surface and… what? _'See ya later, hope you had a nice stay at Casa De La Vampire.'_

This time I slammed my head into the wall. No, I couldn't just leave him up there. Besides, Sabertooth was out looking for him. If they caught his scent above, he wouldn't get two feet across the border before one of them swooped in and snatched him back up.

 _You have to protect him. This is all your fault._

"I know!" I screamed aloud, sobbing once more. I cried because I was helpless to do anything. I cried because Natsu was innocent, yet some twist of fate had brought him into this life. I cried because I couldn't have him, even though my heart ached for him in ways it never had before.

If only I had just left him there that night, if I hadn't brought him back to my coven, into my bedroom. If I hadn't slept with him and ruined everything. Maybe it would be okay.

 _Or maybe he would have died out there,_ my mind argued with me.

I scowled. Maybe. He had been basically dead by the time I'd gotten him back here. It had only been because of those special healing vials I'd had that had saved his life that night. I'd used every last one on him, just barely bringing him out of that near-death state. If I had gotten there even five minutes later, he wouldn't have been alive by the time we made it here.

 _And then you wouldn't have anyone to play with…_

I growled at my wayward thoughts, smacking another hand into the wall and then leaning my forehead against it.

It wasn't like that. I wasn't playing with him, was I? I wasn't _trying_ to at least. There was a deep connection I felt with this boy; I couldn't make sense of it and I couldn't explain it, but it was there.

 _His hands sliding across my bare skin… his mouth pressed against mine, tongue hot as fire… my name whispered on his lips as our bodies joined as one…_

"Stop!" I slid to the floor on my knees, sobs continuing to wrack my body. I couldn't stop thinking about him, or what we had just done. His scent permeated my very being. It was infused with my own.

Images of my father chastising me for crying like such a damn baby suddenly flooded through my mind.

"Stop crying," I scolded myself through sobs, picturing my father's terrifying glower. Tears solved nothing. I had to be strong. I was Queen of Fairy Tail coven; I couldn't be weak.

With that, I was finally able to lift myself up and finish showering, though it was still a slow process.

When I was done, I stepped from the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. Just then, a soft knock came on my bathroom door. I froze, instantly on high alert. I inhaled, and immediately recognized Natsu's sweet/spicy scent. It made my mouth water, in more ways than one.

"What?" I snapped, channeling my earlier irritation so that he wouldn't think I was literally salivating at the mouth.

"You were crying…" he murmured, voice trailing off.

I stiffened. Had he really heard that from all the way—

Wait.

"Why aren't you in your room?!" I screeched, throwing open the door and glaring up at him, though my expression softened at the somber look in his eyes.

"Why were you crying?" he asked softly, gaze locked on mine.

 _Shit,_ I thought, as a thousand butterflies started to swarm inside of me.

"I wasn't." I lied unconvincingly. His face told me he didn't believe me. How long had he stood outside the door, listening to me cry?

"I… feel you, sometimes," he said quietly, eyes glancing away now, "in my room, when I wake up from terrible nightmares? I know you're there, even when I don't see you." His eyes met mine again, and the expression in them was nothing I could even begin to explain. "I feel your presence, in the dark, crying with me. I guess… I guess I wanted to return the favor."

 _Sweet Mavis, this boy is seriously getting to me._

"N-Natsu," I stammered over his name and the obvious heat I could feel radiating off of him.

Or maybe that was just the leftover steam from the shower.

"Luce," he took a step toward me.

I hissed, taking a step back.

His face fell. "What's the matter? Why can't I call you that? What's the big deal?" He was obviously trying not to upset me. He didn't know. He didn't know what that nickname meant to me. He didn't know the pain it brought with it…

"My mother used to call me that..." I said in a quiet voice, after a long moment of silence.

"...used to?" he murmured.

I shrugged, like it didn't matter, but felt fresh tears prick at the backs of my eyes.

I turned my back on him so he wouldn't see the pain in my eyes and so I wouldn't see the same reflected back in his.

"It's fine. Everyone dies… eventually."

His arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me against his chest. I stiffened, not because I was uncomfortable, but because I was entirely comfortable. The warmth of his arms around my body felt so natural and, well, _right,_ like they belonged there.

" _It has something to do with, um, soulmates?"_

 _Soulmates…_

"Don't cry," he whispered in my ear, holding me tight. _Me,_ a bloodsucking demon from hell. _Me_ , the woman who'd brought him into Hell and locked him in a cage inside. _Me_ , the very one who wouldn't— _couldn't_ —let him go.

 _My soulmate—whom I could never truly have._

I cried. My knees became weak and I fell to the cold tile, dragging Natsu along with me. His arms never left my body as I sobbed, holding me against his chest and stroking my hair. I wasn't even sure what I was crying for anymore. For him? For myself? For _us_? For the lack of us? For my past, or his past, or the past that somehow brought us together, even though fate kept us apart? It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

As I cried there in my human's arms, I allowed myself to be vulnerable for the first time in years.

After a while my sobs finally died down, but I was reluctant to let go; I didn't want this moment to end.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, sniffling.

"Don't apologize for crying—"

"No," I pulled back slightly so that I could look him in the eyes. "Not for that. For everything else. For dragging you into my life, for chaining you to the wall like some kind of animal. For forcing you to stay here against your will—"

"Lucy," he cut me off gently, cupping my face in his hands. He was gentle and kind and everything he _shouldn't_ be after the monster I had been. "Do I look like I'm going anywhere?"

I frowned. "What?"

"You crushed those chains, you know," he replied in a deadpan, "and left the door unlocked. I could have made a break for it, but I didn't. I chose to stay. I choose _you._ "

I didn't even protest when he pulled my lips to his. My eyes fluttered closed and my hands fisted in his shirt, feeling the warmth his body brought mine.

I shifted so that I straddled his lap, then slid my fingers into his hair and tilted his face back to kiss him more deeply.

He moaned into my mouth, which was just delicious, and I ground my hips into his in response. His arms went around my back, holding me close and tight.

 _Click, clack. Click, clack._

I pulled away, listening. Or, I tried to, but as soon as my lips left his, Natsu clamped down on my throat instead.

"Oh," I moaned as his mouth worked against my skin, much as it had just a few hours ago.

 _Click, clack. Click, clack._

That noise… what was it? It was getting closer, but I could hardly concentrate with Natsu's lips against my neck, tilting my head back and—

 _Knock, knock, knock._

"Shit!" I hissed, shoving Natsu down and clamping a hand over his mouth. He looked understandably startled, and maybe a little hurt, but I couldn't think about that just then.

"Lucy?" Someone called out, knocking again.

 _No! Not_ her _! Anyone but her! She's too damn observant!_

I leaned down close to Natsu's ear. "Don't make a sound," I breathed, as quietly as I could. He nodded that he understood, and I left him there in the bathroom, closing the door softly behind me in the hopes that the steam and smell of the soap from my shower would mask his scent.

 _Please, Mavis, don't let her ask to come inside!_

A knock sounded again, and an irritated, "Lucy, I know you're in there."

"Give me a sec!" I called back. "I'm just getting out of the shower!"

"...Oh," came the muffled response. I rolled my eyes and quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.

I took a deep breath to steel myself before opening the door just a crack. I peered out at the woman who stood there, who didn't look intimidated in the least at my glare.

"Lucy," Erza said in her usual disapproving tone, "where have you been?"

I stiffened at her tone but hoped it wasn't obvious. "...What do you mean? I've been here."

"I know," she replied flatly, her gaze unwavering on mine. "That's what is strange. Are you hiding here, Lucy?"

 _What does she know?_

I worked to keep the panic off my face, still keeping the door between us.

"I'm not hiding," I lied.

 _Why is she acting like this? She never questions me like this…_

Erza sighed heavily and closed her eyes for a moment before meeting my gaze again. "Your father has been… skulking around," she said at last.

My eyes widened. "What?"

She nodded gravely.

"But—he's not supposed to be here!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "I thought he had joined up with another coven?"

"He was associated with the Lamia Scale coven for a while," she confirmed, "but we never got reports that he had officially joined."

"Wait, you're telling me that Lamia Scale just let my father stay at their coven without making an Act of Submission to their Queen?"

That was just too unreal to believe! It was unheard of for a coven Queen to allow others into their ranks without an Act of Submission.

"Does the Lamia Scale Queen know Jude is my father?" I asked.

"I think that is likely," Erza stated.

"Then they probably have ulterior motives for letting him stay there…" I mused, though I had no idea what they could possibly gain from allowing my father to stay with them. "Maybe they're trying to gain information on the coven."

She nodded. "That is my thought as well."

 _Shit!_ I thought, leaning my head against the wall next to the door. Not only had my father gone to an enemy coven for refuge, but he had also most likely told them secrets about mine, and now he was skulking around here again.

"Let me know if he shows up again," I said at last, lifting my gaze back to hers. "If he's anywhere near the coven boarders, come fetch me at once."

Erza nodded, then bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. I will take it upon myself to keep a thorough watch for Jude."

 _Sure, now she remembers my title._

"Thank you," I shut the door, now sweating for a number of reasons. I heard her hesitate outside my door, then the sound of her footsteps fading in the distance.

As soon as her footsteps disappeared, I flashed back into the bathroom to find Natsu exactly as I'd left him, lying on his back on the floor, barely breathing.

"Natsu," I helped him sit up. "You can breathe, you know. Idiot." I shook my head and rolled my eyes, but when I met his gaze, his looked haunted. "What?"

"Your father is a traitor?" he blurted.

I gasped. "You heard that?" He nodded. I sighed and closed my eyes. "My father… isn't a good man. After my mother… _died_ ," I could barely choke the word out, "he petitioned the Council to take a new wife. The law was on his side, technically, though this matter is pretty unheard of—it isn't often that a mate dies before their time.

"Anyway, my father was allowed to take a new mate, but he didn't stop there. Once he was married he came to the Council a second time and demanded that his new wife be crowned as Queen, seeing as it has been the Heartfilia name that has led the monarchy for millennia now."

"Aren't _you_ a Heartfilia?" Natsu asked with a frown.

I nodded. "Yes, that's the cruel part. My father stated that since the mother of the current Queen, who is obviously me, has passed and has been replaced with a new Mrs. Heartfilia, that _she_ be allowed to rule in her place—and that I be stripped of not only my title as Queen, but the very name Heartfilia itself."

Natsu's eyes went wide. "Can he do that?"

"Obviously not, since I'm still Queen." I rolled my eyes and sat back against the shower door. "You can't disown your own children, even if you get a new wife to replace their mother. I'm still a Heartfilia, and as heir, I inherit the throne. He had little argument on his own behalf, and after that I was forced to charge him with treason and banish him from the coven."

"I'm surprised you guys don't chop heads off or use a stake or something," Natsu remarked, almost thoughtfully.

"We do, usually," I replied, "but since this was my father, no matter how bad of one he may have been, I couldn't just allow him to be killed. I banished him and told him if he ever returned that it'd be the last thing he ever did."

"So… you'll kill him?" Natsu asked quietly. "If that woman finds him?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "I don't know," I admitted. "I don't think I can. I mean, he was a horrible person, the worst I knew, but he doesn't deserve to die for it. I just… I don't know what to do. Being Queen is the hardest thing I've ever had to do in life."

"It sounds hard," he agreed, taking my hand in his.

I opened my eyes and looked over at him. His eyes were sincere.

"Why are you being nice to me?" I asked tiredly.

He blinked in surprise. "Why wouldn't I be nice to you?"

"Because I'm a 'bloodsucking demon from hell'?" I offered. "Because I abducted you from the woods and locked you in my room, chained to a wall? Because I took your only chance at life—"

"Lucy," he cut me off, not unkindly. "Is that what you really think?"

I studied his gaze—his eyes which held no fear, no condemnation or hate of any kind.

"I don't know what to think," I whispered, feeling tears prick at my eyes once more.

"I don't," he breathed. "I don't think that at all. In fact," he paused a moment, taking a deep breath, before finally uttering those five dangerous words. "I really like you, Lucy."

* * *

 **ThayetJade,** Lmao, I loved that. You're so right. I wouldn't that sexy thing leave my bedroom either XD Just accept it, Natsu. You're a permanent fixture now.

 **Neko Lucy-Chan** , Sure! Well, as far as "love at first sight" goes, yes, that's pretty much how it is. Despite Natsu being a human, as soon as Lucy caught his scent she _knew_ without a doubt that she had to have him. Same went for Levy and Gajeel, only that one was done from Gajeel's POV. Levy caught him and brought him home because she just _had_ to have him. I like the idea of soulmates in the vampire world. It makes it all the more mysterious and intriguing, I think.

Um... They don't just "get together" exactly. As you can probably tell, this world is full of bullshit politics, so there is a lot of crap a couple has to go through in order to be "allowed" to be together, in a sense. Technically, you aren't allowed to mate without a Claim and without the permission of the Queen and her Council. If you recall, in the beginning, Gray came sobbing to Lucy because he'd bedded Juvia without making a Claim on her, and was worried he or she would be punished accordingly. However, as Lucy stated, that has never been a law that she'd necessarily upheld because, well, that's a ridiculous law lol. I don't know if that answered your question, I might have gone off on a tangent somewhere in there XD.

Now that Lucy has mated... Well, that is a great question... However, that is one you will have to find out, lest I give away spoilers~

 **Forever Nalu** , It was totally a sign from the universe XD It's not just you, it was supposed to be hella sexy when she said that his blood was an aphrodisiac ;-) You are absolutely correct in saying that Lucy is really complicated in this story. She _is,_ and that does have a lot to do with being Queen, but it also comes from how she grew up and how horrible her father was to her.

 **raizorshrp** , Nah, I thought up all this craziness on my own XD I just took Mashima's characters and gave them a twist and threw them into an alternate universe that I literally thought up one day totally randomly. I think I had the entire plot thought out in a manner of hours. It was the easiest plot to come up with that I've ever written, I think. I'm not sure why, just all the pieces seemed to fall together so nicely. Thank you for reading it, and I'm so glad that you enjoy the story!

 **DeathbringerOC** , Aww thank you! That is so nice to hear! I'm glad you like it so much! As far as Natsu no longer being scared... Does this chapter answer your question? Hehe... Yes, Natsu still does _some_ very minor physical exercises in his spare time. Like, push-ups and things like that to keep from becoming a weak, fragile little twig. I guess I haven't mentioned that... It's in my head, can't you read minds?! Just kidding, just kidding XD And YES, I absolutely will go into more detail about Natsu's body. I can't believe I haven't before now. That was an error on my part. You're not greedy at all! I love detail in a story too, that was my bad that I haven't included that in an earlier chapter. Don't be afraid to ask questions! I take each one into account and try to apply them as best I can.

 **LoveFairyTail666** , Oh my hahaha, that's early. Insomniac? I can totally relate to that.

 **Tohka123** , Lolol, yes, they finally got down and dirty. And oh, if you liked that, you'll love what I have in store for you later on *wink*

Hm. As far as the king thing goes... that is _technically_ true, but they don't really acknowledge kings in this universe. The male mate to a Queen is kind of just that. They hold exactly NO power whatsoever, and the only thing they can do is sit on the Council with the Queen an help make decisions. But ultimately, that falls on the Queen and her right-hand, who is Erza.


	18. Chapter 17: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Seventeen: Natsu**

"I really like you, Lucy."

I watched as her eyes, those gorgeous brown orbs rimmed in a blood red circle, widened at my words. I didn't know what to expect when I finally admitted them to her, but I knew I had to get them off my chest.

I had never really had the opportunity to _feel_ things for someone in the past. I'd never had a girlfriend, or been in love. I'd never had a soulmate… but I guessed that made sense. Maybe my whole life, all my nineteen years, I'd been waiting for _her._ Maybe I had been destined to be with her—a vampire. It was a strange thought and I tried not to think about it too hard, but I was certain that these feelings I had were real, and I wanted her to know it.

"Lucy?" I asked when she stayed silent. "Did you hear what I—"

"Natsu," she cut me off, her words coming out as a gasp. "Y-You can't say things like that!"

"Well, why not?" I frowned, confused. Didn't girls like it when you were mushy? "It's true."

"That doesn't mean you have to say it aloud!" she countered. Her slightly horrified tone was not what I had been expecting at all.

My face fell a little. Maybe all of this was just in my head. All those looks of longing I thought I'd seen in her eyes; all those nights I woke up to find her crying there in the dark with me, sharing in my pain; that first day she drank from me when I felt that high, then kissed me and made me think that there was nothing greater in life, but then she proved me wrong once again. Last night–or this morning, or whenever it was in vampire terms–had been amazing. The feel of her skin, the taste of her lips, the soft, mewling responses she gave when I touched her. Shit, that had to prove that she at least had _some_ feelings for me, right?

Looking into her eyes now I wasn't so sure. She looked panicked and afraid, but of what? Was she afraid to feel something in return? Or was she afraid of what I was trying to give to her? Maybe she wouldn't accept my feelings…

What would I do then?

 _Stop acting like a pussy,_ I chastised myself.

I cleared my throat and put on a steely expression. "Well, then I won't. I'm going back to my room now."

I noted her shocked expression before I pushed myself to my feet and stalked into my room.

 _Idiot. You can't be acting all girly and caring about_ feelings _and shit. Obviously she doesn't feel the same so just shut up about it and be a good little prisoner._

Although, I didn't _feel_ like a prisoner, not exactly. Prisoners wanted to be free; I wanted to stay. Maybe that just made me an insane prisoner, then. Either way, I was starting to feel a lot more comfortable than I probably should have.

I wasn't really tired, so I decided to just pace the length of the room, roll my shoulders, pop my sore, tense muscles. When that started to make me restless, I dropped to the floor and did pushups. I couldn't do as many as I used to when I was back at Sabertooth—I may have been slacking off a bit since coming here—but I could still manage twenty-five before the strain on my muscles was too much for me to bear.

I added some sit ups so I wouldn't start to get a gut from all the eating I'd been doing, then started doing jumping jacks and running in place because, why the hell not?

I half expected her to come in after me, to yell at me for running out on her, or for telling her things she obviously didn't want to hear, or for running around and making too much noise, but she didn't come. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, especially with my conflicting emotions. On the one hand, I really wanted to see her; on the other hand, I didn't really want to see that look in her eyes again.

 _And here I go, acting like a whiny teenage girl again._

Shit.

I decided not to think about Lucy at all. Or about how fucking sexy she'd been just now wearing only that towel, golden hair dripping wet from her shower, and _holy fuck did she taste good._

"Ugh," I groaned and tried to push the image from my mind. Thinking about her half-naked wasn't going to help anything. I just had to remember that she was an evil creature of the night, not some normal girl that I was asking to a dance or something.

 _I bet Lucy is an amazing dancer…_

No. I definitely wasn't going there.

Instead of worrying about You-Know-Who, I decided now was a good time to take a nap. I was starting to get bored and restless, and I figured my brain could use the rest anyway.

That was another thing that was worlds different between Sabertooth and Lucy's coven (I still didn't know the name). In Sabertooth, I had never been allowed to get any sort of significant rest. I was constantly being woken up by someone, just for the sake of keeping me weak, but here I seemed to sleep more often than not, mostly out of boredom. Even if nightmares plagued my sleeping hours, and I was forced awake more than I'd like, I still got plenty of sleep and was grateful for that.

Honestly, I had no idea why I was even there. If Lucy didn't share the same feelings that I did, then why was she keeping me around?

 _She's lying to you._

Maybe. Or maybe I was reading too much into it. Lucy may have cared for me more than she was letting on, but that didn't mean I needed to dwell on it. Besides, maybe she was keeping me around as a snack dispenser.

No, I didn't believe that either, not with how little blood she'd taken from me, and not after we'd done _that._

"Just shut up and go to bed," I told myself, then settled down on the floor. Sleep didn't come easily for me, undoubtedly because I'd been getting so much of it, my body no longer felt the need. I stared at the ceiling for a while, imagining stars there. I didn't know any of the constellations because that shit was just boring, but I made some up in my mind. I imagined a Lucy star-pattern alongside a Natsu one. Their fingers were just touching, as if they wanted to hold hands but couldn't quite get there. It was sad, but at the same time not. It felt like us—together but apart.

I sighed and sat up, running a hand through my hair. Looking down at my still bare chest, I noticed the scars there were starting to fade, just a little. I could still count each one, and remembered when, why, and how I had received them all, but they didn't look as horrible as they used to. I was certain that I would carry them with me as long as I lived, but I was okay with that. It was a reminder of my past, of a time when things weren't okay, but I still managed to survive. I was a survivor, no matter what anyone else thought. I've gone through more shit in nineteen years than most people do in their entire lives, but that brought me to where I am now, and as stupid as it sounds, I'm happy. If only Lucy would see that...

If only Lucy would see that...

…

 _I am sitting on the dusty floor of my hut, arms wrapped around my knees as I stare at the broken window that allows snow and wind inside, freezing the air around me and making me shiver almost uncontrollably. The boards I tried to put up keep falling in since I don't have any nails to attach them to the wall._

 _Another blast of wind hits me and I bury my face in my knees, trying to block it from hitting my face. I wish I knew how to make a fire but I can't figure it out. I've tried so hard but I don't know how my father always lit the hearth so easily, seemingly without effort._

 _Thinking of my father brings tears to my eyes. I wish I knew where he was. He left to go find us food and never came back. That was two weeks ago—sixteen days to be exact. I've been marking the days by scratching lines into the wall near the door because I can't remember on my own._

 _I'm too cold sitting on the floor like this, so I get to my feet and start jogging around the empty space to try and get some heat into my body. My limbs are cold and numb, however, so I keep tripping and falling onto the dust and snow covered floorboards. It hurts, but only a little since I am so numb from cold. I'll feel it tomorrow, though._

 _I finally give up and decide to curl up next to the table, which has been knocked over onto its side for days now, in hopes that that will block some of the wind. It helps a little, but I'm still too cold to sleep or do anything else. So I just lie there, curled in a ball, hoping and praying to whoever is out there that my father comes home._

 _He never does._

…

" _This is the day," I tell the little cat I found in the woods a few weeks ago. "This is the day that we finally get a real meal!" I pump my fist in the air, trying to be more enthusiastic than I feel, but the cat doesn't look impressed. He blinks back at me with a bored expression. "Don't believe me, huh? Well, I'll show you! Just you wait, I'll come back with more food than either of us can even eat!"_

 _He blinks at me, gives a huge yawn, then starts cleaning his paws._

 _I roll my eyes and ignore him, going back to packing my bag for my trip. Last time I went out I took the little guy with me, but he mewled too much and squirmed around in my pack and gave me away too many times. That had been an unsuccessful trip. I ended up coming home with nothing because of him. So today he's staying behind and I'm going out on my own. I shouldn't be gone more than a day or two, but just in case it's longer I plan on pushing the table away from the broken window so he can leave if he wishes, though I don't expect him to wander far because he's been pretty dependent on me since I found him. I honestly have no idea how he even survived out here before I found him._

 _I grin as I see him sprawled out on the floor, twitching slightly in sleep. He must be dreaming– probably about fish since that seems to be his favorite food._

 _I shake my head and make my way over to the door, looking back only once to utter a quick 'goodbye' before heading out, closing the door softly behind me._

 _Half a day's journey, that's how long it takes me to reach the village. I'm crouching low behind a tree, watching the few remaining villagers who are currently roaming the area. It's dark out, and most of them have already gone to bed, but a few of the drunks and partiers are still out, so I have to be patient and wait._

 _Two hours. That's how long I have to stay crouched by that tree. Two hours into the cold, pitch black night until the partiers finally go to bed. Then I wait another half-hour just to be sure no one will come out._

 _Finally, I make my way into the village as quietly as possible, staying low as I search for the place I know they keep fishing supplies. I sneak into the tent, pausing at the flap that is the door to make sure there isn't any breathing coming from inside, then quietly grab a pole before darting back out._

 _I know they keep food here too, but I'm not into stealing, so the best I can do is borrow a fishing pole and hope I can get it back before anyone notices it's gone. It's not stealing if you return it._

 _Right?_

 _I quickly make my way back through the tents to where my hiding place is, then wait there for a few minutes, just watching and listening to make sure no one noticed my thievery—I mean, borrow-y._

Is that a word?

 _Probably not._

 _When ten minutes pass and nothing happens, I jog to the fishing hole I saw some of the villagers using a few days ago. It looks empty, so I take a seat on the dock and immediately throw my line in, hoping the fish still bite despite my not having any bait._

 _After an hour of waiting and having nothing happen, I reel in the line and slump back to the village, quickly return the pole, then start back the way I came, heading home. As I'm making my way past all the lines of tents, my nose picks up on a scent. It's faint, and I almost miss it in my haste to get out of there, but it is unmistakable._

 _I quietly inch toward the source of the smell, then carefully peel back the tent flap. A loaf of bread sits on a makeshift table, along with two fish that have already been gutted and look to have been cooked over the fire by the charred looks of them. They sit in a basket, with nothing else in the whole tent. I glance around, feeling my mouth water at the sight. I know I shouldn't be stealing, Igneel taught me better than that, but I'm so hungry, and I promised my cat a meal…_

 _I take the basket, guiltily._

 _Just as I'm about to leave the tent, I turn and almost run into someone, a little girl of no more than ten, stands in the doorway, eyeing me with big, sad eyes._

" _Um, I was just borrowing them…" I say lamely._

" _Go," she whispers, pointing outside the tent._

" _Huh?" Isn't she going to turn me in? Scream? Yell? Run away?_

" _Get out of here before someone sees you, stupid!" She rolls her eyes, then disappears outside the tent. A moment later I follow, hesitant at first because I'm half-expecting an ambush to be lying in wait for me, but no. It's deserted, and there is no sign of the little girl._

 _I hurry through the last few tents until I'm back to the woods that lead to my hut and my cat. Now I'm eager to get home because I have the meal I promised, and when I get there we will feast on bread and fish._

 _Only, I never get back to that hut. I never see my cat again. I never eat bread or fish._

 _I never see the sunrise another day._

…

I woke from the shaking of my body, and the familiar scent of lavender and honey.

"Natsu!" More shaking, then a groan. "Natsu, come on, wake up!"

I forced my eyes open a crack and saw Lucy hovering over me, forehead creased with worry.

"What's the matter?" I mumbled, voice slightly slurred from sleep.

"You were having another nightmare," she stated, sitting back.

I yawned and stretched, frowning when I felt something soft and cushiony beneath me. I glanced down in confusion. I was lying on a mattress with soft blankets pulled up around me.

I sat up, gaze shifting over to the blonde who was pointedly avoiding my eyes. "What's with the mattress?" I asked.

"..."

I raised an eyebrow at her silence. "Well, thanks but—" Wait. I thought back to all the times I'd gone back and forth through her room. These blankets… they had been on her _bed_ , and that scent was all hers. "Did you give me your mattress?" Why the hell would she do that?

"You needed it more than me." She shrugged.

I frowned. What the hell did that mean?

"Um—"

"What were you dreaming about?" she pressed, cutting me off. She was picking at her shirt, still not looking at me, but I could see the lines of worry on her face. It made me wonder just how long I'd been asleep for.

I thought for a moment, trying to recall the dream. Images flashed through my mind, a cold house, a mewling kitten, a little girl, bread and fish, a woman…

"I… think I was dreaming about when I got attacked by Minerva," I said at last.

"Sabertooth's Queen?" she asked in surprise, finally turning to meet my eyes.

I nodded. "Yeah… I was on my way back to my… hut, when I was attacked. I blacked out almost immediately, and when I woke up again I was in Sabertooth's dungeon."

And the rest was history.

"That's… not possible," Lucy whispered, frowning in thought. "We aren't allowed to hunt humans in their own domain, even on the Day of Rest. It's forbidden."

I shrugged. "My hut was far from any human society, it was this pathetic little shack my dad built in the middle of the forest."

"Is it far from here?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know, I haven't been outside since that day, more than three years ago."

Lucy gasped, eyes going slightly wider. "That's… really terrible," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. You weren't the one who abducted me," I said. I didn't know why I was trying to make _her_ feel better, only that I didn't like the pained look in her eyes, or the way her voice broke on those two words.

Besides, if I'd never been abducted by Minerva, I never would have met Lucy.

That thought brought a gasp of my own, and I saw Lucy frown from the corner of my eye.

"Are you okay, Natsu?" she asked, shifting closer to me. She reached out a hand as if to touch me, but seemed to think better of it and pulled back at the last second.

"I was alone," I said, ignoring her question. "I was alone for _four years_ , in the human world. My dad left one day to get food and never returned. I don't know what happened to him, maybe he was abducted too, but I was alone and barely managed to stay alive for four years."

I turned to her, and saw shock and horror on her features. She hadn't been expecting that.

"I lived in this small hut with broken windows and no furniture or electricity or anything," I continued, holding her gaze. "I was young, only twelve when my dad disappeared, so I didn't know that much about hunting and gathering food. I almost died a few times."

At this her eyes widened even further, and her hands shook in her lap.

"Somehow, despite all that, I managed to survive, though just barely."

"What happened?" she whispered, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"I was on my way home one day with some food that I, uh, may or may not have stolen…" I saw her lips twitch at this, "and Minerva attacked me." I shrugged.

"I should have left you out there that day." Lucy sighed. "You were finally free."

I scoffed. "Free? Luce, I almost _died_ , if you recall," I pointed out. "Besides, weren't you listening just now? I was never free."

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "I can't keep doing this to you, Natsu. I can't keep you here, in this room, in my coven. I have to get you out of here. As soon as the next Day of Rest comes—"

"No." I cut her off with a growl.

She glanced back up in complete astonishment. "Natsu—"

"I'm not leaving you, Lucy, not after everything you've done for me. Not after—" _Not after I've started to fall in love with you…_

"Don-Don't be ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "You can't stay here! This isn't a hotel!"

"But it has room service," I pointed out with a grin.

She narrowed her eyes. "This isn't a joke! I can't keep you here anymore. It isn't right. You deserve to be free—"

"I _am_ free, Luce," I whispered. I noted how she didn't flinch at the nickname. I slid from the mattress so that I sat beside her. Her eyes were wary and still sparkled with unshed tears. "Where would I go if I left here? What would I do? Go back to being in constant fear of attack and/or starvation?"

That brought her up short. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"I already told you, there is nothing left for me out there. Not since my dad disappeared and left me to fend for myself." I cupped her face in one my hands, noting how perfectly it fit in my palm. "I can't leave you like he left me," I whispered, and her eyes widened once more. "I would never do that to you." I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers, but just as I was about to press my mouth firmly on hers, she was out of my arms and across the room, her back to me as she stood in the doorway.

"I have to go," she said simply, then left me sitting there, completely confused.

What had I done?

* * *

 **A/N:** Here's a little bit on Natsu's past for you! Don't worry, I'll get more into what happened to him at Sabertooth also. This story isn't over yet, there's still much to explore!

 **MorriganFae** , Yes! I do have a chapter that explains how she dies. Jude... Well, I explain a bit more about him and Layla around... chapter 36ish. To answer your question about whether he has always been a jerk... yes and no? It's complicated.

Well... as far as Lucy Claiming Natsu, it's really more of a personal decision on her part. Being a vampire isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially now when everyone is kind of at war with one another. And since she is the Queen it's even worse, so she doesn't want to put Natsu in any more danger than he's already in. That's half the reason why she won't change him now. The other half is basically stubbornness and fear.

Extra short? Was it? Hmm. Some are shorter than others, some are extra long. Sorry, Morrigan! XD This one falls somewhere in the middle. And I adore you too XD

 **Juliastes** , Birth control? That is an unexpected question. I suppose birth control of some sort would have to be available, otherwise, the coven would be overwhelmed with little babies. However, in what form that takes, I can't say. Probably some sort of shot, rather than a pill or patch.

 **ThayetJade** , "Heart to earth" lolol. Proceedures... Well, if you recall the chapter in which Lucy changed Gajeel for Levy and allowed him to be a part of her coven, that's where it would have to start. As far as rituals go... that question will be answered around chapter 36 (I say around because sometimes I add extra chapters in between and have to push the later chapters I already have written). So you will see how that process goes! And no, that is not a spoiler for Natsu/Lucy lol. It's someone else's ceremony.

 **FairyTailxFanGirl** , I try to throw the title in there every now and then if I can XD

 **Tohka123** , Lolol, yeah... Poor Natsu. It's okay to breathe, you know! XD

 **Forever Nalu** , Yeah... I'm conflicted with Jude. I hated him for a long time because I know, personally, what it's like to be abandoned by someone, so I was angry on her behalf. I think when she came back from Tenrou and he had been sending her things for her birthday every year, even though everyone else had kind of lost hope that she'd ever return, was when I really felt that he might not be such a bad person after all. I was sad when she didn't even get a chance to say goodbye, especially when she'd already lost one parent. I can't imagine how heartbreaking that must have been for her. However... in this story and this universe I have created, it was just a part of her past. It had to be this way, unfortunately. I feel bad for torturing her even more with a crappy dad, but... well, what can you do.

 **Neko Lucy-Chan** , Great question XD Yes, vampires do age, but in a different way than humans. I actually go into more detail about that in a couple chapters! But in this story you ARE born a vampire more often than not. They don't like to turn humans into vampires if they can help it, at least not in Fairy Tail coven. So yes, vampires are born in this world, but they can be turned also. As far as aging goes, you'll see soon, I promise! Natsu wants to know the answer to that too XD


	19. Chapter 18: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Eighteen: Lucy**

I closed the door behind me, leaning against it as the tears finally fell from my eyes, silently dripping onto the floor at my feet as my head hung low.

What had I done? That look, it was one I had seen on countless others at the coven, though I had never seen it directed at me before. Still, I instantly recognized it. Natsu was falling in love with me, and I absolutely couldn't allow him to do that. It was bad enough that he "really liked me," I couldn't have him _loving_ me, too. It would just make it harder for him when I got him out.

And I would. He wasn't staying here—I decided that the moment those words left his lips.

" _I really like you, Lucy."_

 _I'm sorry, Natsu,_ I thought sadly, _but I can't let you._

I had to come up with a plan. It didn't matter if he wanted to stay or not, it wasn't safe for him to stay here. Not only was there the threat of my entire coven, but there was also the very real possibility that I might be falling in love with him, too, and if that happened, I knew there was no way I would be able to let him go.

So I pushed my feelings aside, wiped my tear-filled eyes, and stood up straight and tall. I could do this, I could find a way to get him to safety if it was the last thing I ever did.

 _Click, clack, clack. Click, clack, clack._

I frowned and turned my attention to the door, listening to the approaching footsteps. It was Wendy, no doubt—she was the only one who ran full-speed everywhere she went. My frown turned into a glare as I realized that she must be here to deliver some unwelcome summons.

Before she could knock, I flung open the door. "Hello, Wendy," I greeted her, voice flat.

"Hi, Your Majesty!" She bowed low before me and then straightened, eyes alight with something like excitement. It made me narrow my own eyes with suspicion. "The Council requests your presence!" she said, making this sound like an honor rather than the inconvenience it actually was. "It's mating day!"

I blinked. "What?"

"The Council said they have couples requesting permission to become mates! So it's like a mating day. Isn't that exciting?!" She was practically jumping up and down in her excitement.

"Yeah, sure," I agreed in a deadpan. "Wendy, how many couples are there, did you notice?"

"I think there were three!" she replied. "Oh, I can't wait until I can have a mate of my own!" Hearts danced in her eyes.

"Why can't you?" I asked, frowning.

She stopped bouncing and turned to me with wide eyes. "You mean, I _can?_ "

I shrugged. "Well, certainly, I don't see why not. Do you have someone in mind?"

Wendy bit her lip, clearly embarrassed at having brought up this particular topic. "Oh, well… I mean, maybe?"

I laughed and brushed the hair off of my shoulder to get it out of my face. "Wendy, if you have someone you love and wish to mate with, then by all means, make a request. Just make sure you are both aware that mating is a final, eternal contract between two souls, and there will be no going back once you sign."

She nodded seriously, taking in every word I said. "I will, Your Majesty, thank you! Wait," she frowned, tilting her head to the side like she was examining something. "Queen Lucy, what's on your neck right there?" She touched the side of her own neck to show me.

I went perfectly still, hand going up to the place she indicated, but not feeling anything. I brushed the hair back into place. "Um, it's none of your concern. Tell the Council I will be down momentarily."

"But—"

"Goodbye, Wendy!"

I closed the door in her surprised face and locked it. I waited until I heard her footsteps disappear around the next corridor before going to my bathroom and looking in the mirror. There, on the left side of my neck, was a large purple bruise.

"Why, you…"

I stomped across the room and threw open Natsu's door. He jumped in understandable surprise where he sat on the edge of the mattress, eyes wide as he took in my glare.

"What?" he asked. He didn't look afraid, exactly, but he did look wary.

"You idiot!" I screeched at him. "You gave me a hickey!"

"A… what?" He frowned.

I brushed the hair from my neck again, revealing the evidence. He stared at it for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

"This isn't funny!" I snapped.

"I'm sorry," he said through laughter, "but I had no idea vamps could get those."

"I detest you," I seethed.

"I'm sorry!" he said again, sounding _almost_ serious this time. He cleared his throat and got control of himself, though he still had a stupid smile on his lips. "I'm sorry, I really didn't know that would happen."

"It shouldn't have!" I exclaimed.

That was true. While I hadn't exactly been hot and heavy with anyone before Natsu, I knew that, as a rule, vampires didn't get hickey's. At least, not from kissing. Sometimes, if a bite isn't sealed properly, one might get a small bruise for a day or so, but that was it. Obviously Natsu couldn't pierce skin with his human teeth, so the mark on my neck shouldn't be possible.

"Really?" he asked curiously. I watched his eyes scan down my body once before settling back on my face. His ogling didn't make me feel disgusted, as it did when other men stared at me, it made me feel warm. It made me want to kiss him.

I turned my back on him. "Don't do it again!" I hissed, then left the room once more.

Before the door closed all the way I heard him murmur, "Okay, Luce, I won't kiss your neck again."

I growled, slamming the door with unnecessary force. I didn't bother locking it because I figured there was no damn point anymore. If he snuck off and left, so be it. That would save me the trouble of having to do it myself, but if he really was as infatuated with me as he seemed… well, then I doubted he would so much as leave that room.

I quickly changed into a velvet blue dress and black heels, placed my tiara in my hair, then left my bedroom, locking the door behind me because, while I was fairly confident Natsu wouldn't leave, I wasn't confident that no one else would come down here snooping.

 _I have to protect him._

…

Back in the Council's chambers, I found Wendy standing at the door leading to the Council room, fidgeting on her heels as she waited with some impatience.

"Wendy," I called out, confused as to why she was standing around outside. "What's going on?"

"Oh!" She quickly bowed before me. "Your Majesty, the Council said to tell you to meet them in the Northern chambers."

"The throne room?" I asked with an involuntary groan. If I was being summoned to that place then I'd need more than this tiara. "I thought we were just accepting mating requests?"

"You are!" she assured me, straightening, "but Makarov Dreyar said that it would be much more appropriate in the throne room, and he said that you should change into royal robes and wear your crown instead of your tiara."

I scowled. "Seriously? What's the big deal? I do this sort of thing all the time and we've never had to be so formal about it."

Wendy shrugged. "I don't know, but it sounds so exciting!"

I resisted the urge to roll me eyes. "Hey, if you're so excited, why don't you come along?"

Her eyes widened. "Me? Attend a special Council meeting?!"

This time I did roll my eyes. "It's not so special. Come on, it'll be fun." I held out a hand to her, which she took after only a moment of hesitation.

"Thank you, Queen Lucy!" She squealed in excitement. "I've never been to an official Council meeting before!"

Hadn't she? She was still fairly young, sure, but she was still an important part of our coven. She was the one who delivered all the important news. She was one of the only vampires trusted with important information. I thought she had sat in on a few meetings at least, but maybe my mind was just playing tricks on me.

"Well, now you can say you have," I said as we walked down the hall. I tugged at the scarf around my neck because the fabric was itchy, but I couldn't remove it because it was the only thing hiding the offensive purple mark on my neck. I was already pushing it by coming out so soon after Natsu and I had… _mated_ , but hopefully, since it was in the throne room, no one would be close enough to me to smell anything off. I was a little surprised that Wendy couldn't, but she was still young so there was a chance she hadn't fully developed her senses yet.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else about this meeting?" I asked suspiciously.

"They didn't tell me anything else," Wendy replied with a shrug.

I hoped there wasn't something they weren't telling me, something horrible that I was about to walk into. I glanced over at Wendy from the corner of my eye, her expression that of an excited child. I really hoped I wasn't about to take her into an execution or something equally horrible. I didn't want her eyes to be scarred like the rest of ours.

"Wendy," I said carefully, "do you remember your life, before you were turned?"

It was an impolite thing to ask, you didn't ask other vampires about their lives before they were vampires. Most of us had been born into the coven, but others, like Wendy and Gajeel, had been turned.

I saw her frown, but not in a sad way. She was thinking.

"I remember some of it," she replied at last, voice low. "I remember a fire… and someone pulling me out, but then my memory gets hazy."

I remembered when Wendy had been brought to the coven. It was two years ago, on the Day of Rest, when a party had gone out to a nearby village for supplies. Only, when they got there they found the entire village had gone up in flames. It was Erza who had heard the faint cries of a small child, and had raced into the burning town in search of the noise.

When she came back out, however, the child was burned beyond recognition. The party had come back right after that, and immediately brought her to me. I didn't bother with formalities or specifics–seeing as she was close to death anyway–and simply turned her. It was difficult to do when she was so badly injured, and it took three and a half days for her to fully recover and turn.

When she awoke, she looked perfect once more, no trace of the fire could be seen. However, she seemed to have completely forgotten how it happened in the first place. She couldn't tell us anything about that night. It was strange, but we tried not to push her. She seemed happy, and easily adjusted to being a vampire, despite never having heard of us before.

"Do you remember anything before that night?" I prompted. Occasionally, I asked her questions like these, and it seemed that she gained more and more memories as time passed. She still didn't remember everything from her past, which was an eternal mystery to the rest of us, but at least she was slowly beginning to remember some things. That had to be better than nothing.

"I remember… when I was a little girl–maybe five or six–and my mother took me out to the stream," she began, voice somber as she pulled up the memories. "Sometimes she let me swim in it, even though it was mostly used for fishing, but sometimes, on hot summer nights, we would go out to the water and she'd let me wade in for a while to cool off." She smiled at the memory. "One time, I was underwater and saw a fish pass right by my face! I nearly drowned because I panicked and my mother had to jump in and save me. She wasn't too happy about that, I recall, because she was wearing one of her favorite dresses."

"What was your mother's name, Wendy?" I asked softly.

"I… can't remember…" She scrunched up her face in thought, trying to pull up the name.

I squeezed her hand. "Don't worry," I whispered. "You don't have to remember."

It was something she had been struggling to recall since we brought her here. She could recall certain things from her past, like that scene in the river, but she couldn't remember a single name apart from her own. It was devastating because Wendy was a special part of our coven now. We never, _never_ allowed children to turn. It was unheard of and just wrong on so many levels. I didn't even think covens like Sabertooth would turn a child but, under the circumstances, it had to be done.

However, that didn't mean we went around bragging about her. In fact, no one apart from the members of our coven knew about Wendy's existence. We kept her a secret from the other covens _and_ the Vampire Elite Council itself. We didn't need their scrutiny brought down upon us because, while she was young and couldn't do as much as other vampires in terms of speed and agility, she did have something special about her, something that only the members of our coven Council were permitted to know.

"I wish I could remember." She slumped slightly, and I squeezed her hand once more, offering her a reassuring smile when her eyes met mine.

"Don't fret, Wendy," I whispered. "You'll remember one day."

She gave me a weak smile and nodded.

A few minutes later we reached the Northern chambers, and the room which housed the grand throne room. Instead of turning straight into that room, I dragged Wendy into an adjoining room that held royal robes and other garments that were used solely for royal festivities.

"I'm sure there's something in here that would fit you," I told Wendy, combing through some of the racks.

"Me?" she asked, voice rising an octave in surprised excitement.

I laughed. "Yes, you. Here, try this one on." I handed her a small green gown that looked about her size. It was sleeveless and secured around the throat like a choker. There was a white pattern on the front that added uniqueness to the outfit.

She squealed happily and started changing into it right there. I grinned down at her for a moment before turning to find a robe for myself. I pulled a dark purple one from the rack and slipped it on over my dress, tying it securely at my neck. I placed my tiara on an empty velvet pillow and replaced it with the golden crown I'd been coronated with on the day I was made Queen. It was heavy and uncomfortable on my head, but I probably wouldn't have to wear it for long. Small blessings.

When I turned back around I caught sight of Wendy twirling in a mirror, face alight with happiness.

"You look adorable!" I told her, smiling at her delight.

"Thank you!" she said, then did a small curtsey.

I giggled and held my hand out to her. "Shall we?" I asked. She nodded and the two of us walked through the door that led into the throne room.

As soon as we stepped through I knew exactly why I had been asked to come to this location.

"SURPRISE!" Came a chorus of voices that filled the massive chamber. "Happy birthday, Queen Lucy!"

At first I thought Wendy must have tricked me, but when I glanced down at her she was stiff with surprise, eyes wide as saucers.

I forced a smile on my lips and tightened my hold on Wendy when she tried to pull free, probably to make a run for it. I was suddenly glad that I'd asked her to come with me. I really hated parties.

"Did we get you, Lu?" Levy asked, coming up and throwing her arms around me in an embrace.

"You sure did!" I said, feigning excitement.

"Nice to see you out and about again, sweetie." Mira hugged me next, then ruffled Wendy's hair. "And you, too, Wendy. Glad you could come as well. You're very important to our Queen, after all."

Wendy smiled, but I couldn't tell if it was forced like mine was, or if she was genuinely happy by the sudden onslaught of people. I wasn't sure who they were happier to see, me or Wendy, which was amusing. Everyone adored the little bluenette, and while most didn't know of the power she possessed, everyone knew the light she brought into the coven just with her presence.

"Happy birthday, my child." Makarov beamed up at me, his face scrunched in a huge grin.

"Thank you, Makarov," I said, smiling back at him. I noted that his grandson, Laxus, was nowhere to be seen, nor was his mate, Lilliana. That didn't surprise me, as Laxus made no effort to hide his disdain for me, even after I'd become Queen. Maybe he wanted to be Queen instead, I didn't know.

"Hello, Wendy," Makarov took her hand and kissed the top of it. "Nice to see you standing still for once!" He chuckled. Wendy gave a nervous giggle as the man retreated.

"Lucy! Wendy!"

We both turn at the sound of Erza's commanding voice. I feel her relax next to me at the familiar face, which is not the reaction most people gave when they saw the redhead approaching. She was a force to be reckoned with, but she was a good friend to both me and Wendy.

"Hello, Erza," I greeted.

"Hi, Erza!" Wendy echoed, smiling a genuine smile.

She came up to us and pulled both of us into a tight embrace. "Happy birthday, Lucy!" she told me. "I hope this year brings you happiness, both of you," she added, smiling at Wendy as she let us out of her firm hold.

We both smiled back politely.

The rest of the evening went by in a similar fashion; everyone came up and wished me a happy birthday, and most of them greeted Wendy as well, until the line of well-wishers finally came to an end. Then it was a party. There was dancing and cake and merriness, and it was a nice change to the ordinary dreary coven life. We didn't often have parties like this anymore, but when we did we made the most of it.

By the time the party came to a close it was late and I was tired. I sat at my throne with Wendy curled up beside me, already fast asleep, as I surveyed the party guests. I was tired of dancing and needed a break, and Wendy had been stuck to me like glue all evening so when I made my way up to my throne she'd followed close behind, falling asleep almost immediately. It was amusing to me how someone could fall asleep with all the noise that was Fairy Tail coven, but Wendy was always one who could sleep through anything.

"Need a break?"

I turned my gaze from watching Mira and Elfman dancing to where Gray stood in front of me, looking utterly dashing in his suit and tie.

He gestured at the sleeping girl. "I can take her up to her room for you, if you want?"

I smiled down at him and nodded. "Sure, that would be helpful. I'm sure she'd be much more comfortable in her own bed." Plus, I desperately wanted to get out of here but didn't want to leave Wendy alone. "How was the party?" I asked.

"Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that?' he said with a grin. "It was fun to surprise you, in a good way for once. I could tell, the last time I saw you, that you've been under a lot of stress lately. It was nice to see you having a good time. I haven't seen you smile like this in a long while."

That was a sad thought, but I supposed it was true. I didn't have reason to smile so much these days. Since becoming Queen, really. I'd been more focused on taking care of the coven and making sure everything ran smoothly than with trying to be happy.

I gave Gray a genuine smile. "I'm happy now," I said honestly. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course." He nodded.

"How are things with Juvia?" I asked, as he scooped Wendy up in his arms.

He grinned. "Great. Thank you for your approval. Things have never been better between us."

"I'm glad. I'm happy for you, Gray."

He nodded his thanks and left to take Wendy up to her room.

I stayed for only a few more minutes before finally making my departure. I'd stolen an extra large slice of cake to take back with me, and surprisingly no one had noticed when I snuck off through the dressing room. I disrobed, and traded my crown for my much lighter tiara before quickly making my way back to my chambers. It wasn't a long walk, seeing as I lived in the north-east chambers, so I was back at my room in two minutes.

I opened the door, then closed and locked it behind me before making my way over to the room Natsu stayed.

I gave a light knock, for probably the first time, then pushed the door open.

He was sitting up against the wall, reading what was left of Macbeth, but as soon as I entered his eyes found mine, and his face broke into a huge grin, despite what happened earlier. I couldn't keep the answering smile that lifted my own lips as I stepped in farther. I held the cake out.

"A peace offering."

He raised an eyebrow but took the proffered cake. "For what?" He asked, taking a huge bite.

"For being a bitch to you earlier," I said, sitting down beside him.

 _And for everything else in this messed up world that I can't even begin to apologize for,_ I silently added.

Natsu snorted. "Baby, you're not a bitch. Not in the slightest."

I sucked in a sharp breath. _Baby._ No one but my mother had ever called me that. The name sparked something inside of me, and I had the urge to throw myself into his arms. I resisted the urge, clearing my throat and pulling at the hem on my dress instead.

"What's with the cake?" he asked after a moment. "Are you vamps celebrating something?"

"It's my birthday today," I whispered, the words barely audible. I kept my face down, eyes averted, so I wouldn't have to see the shock on his face.

"Your… Why didn't you tell me?" He finally managed. I heard him place the plate on the floor next to him, then felt the mattress shift as he turned to face me.

"I don't like to think about it," I admitted. "My birthday doesn't mark any special day for me. I try not to think about it at all, but… usually this kind of thing happens, and a huge celebration ensues." I sat back against the wall next to him, closing my eyes.

"What happened on your birthday that makes you so sad?" he asked softly. I felt his eyes on me, but I kept mine shut, unwilling to meet his intense gaze.

"My mother died on my birthday," I said at last, and heard him gasp in response. "She fell ill a while before that, and it was never certain how much time she had left. Vampires… we don't get illnesses or diseases like humans do. We generally stay fairly healthy for most of our lives, but my mother got some rare disease. We never really knew what caused it, and we were never entirely sure what it even was since we'd never seen it before, but we knew that it was deadly. There was no cure for her." I paused here to swallow back the tears.

"On the day I turned fifteen, I went into my mother's room, and found her lying there completely immobile." Tears fell down my cheeks but I ignored them as I choked out the rest of the words. "She was dead, and while my father swore up and down that it was the disease that had finally killed her… I've always suspected that it something else. It seems like too much of a coincidence that she would die on my birthday."

I opened my eyes to find Natsu fighting back tears of his own.

"That's… really horrible," he whispered.

"It was," I agreed. "I was completely distraught for a long time, made worse because three weeks later I was crowned Queen."

"At fifteen?" he asked in disbelief.

I nodded. "Yes. Today is my eighteenth birthday, but this day no longer marks the years of my birth, but the years of her death." Those last words came out as a choked whisper and I couldn't hold back my sobs any longer. I buried my face in my hands and cried.

"Don't cry, baby." Natsu pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly against his chest as I cried. This was the second time I'd sobbed into his chest, but somehow it made me feel safe, which was ridiculous since he was a weak human.

Still, my sobs eventually stopped, and I fell asleep wrapped in Natsu's embrace.

* * *

 **A/N:** You guys were so quiet last week! Hope you all come back this week! I need opinions, guys. Tell me what you thought of this chapter, about Lucy and how her mother died on her birthday, anything that stuck out to you as good or bad! Thanks, guys! Also... am I the only one who hates surprises? I would have died if someone had done that to me haha. Poor Lucy! Should've saw that one coming, girl.

 **ThayetJade** , Pretty much both lol. She knows she has feelings for him, but she doesn't want to believe it. So she tries to lie to herself, but we all know that never works!

 **BigBadBen** , Hiya, Ben! Thank you for the support! Fairy Tail is one of my favorite worlds too, and I've always been a fan of vampires, so I figured it couldn't hurt to twist the two together! Politics aren't really my thing either, to be honest, but this world has to run that way. I try to make it as interesting as I can! I'm glad you have fun with it! I hope you continue to enjoy this story!

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	20. Chapter 19: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Nineteen: Natsu**

When I awoke, Lucy was still cradled against my chest. I breathed in the familiar lavender and honey scent and pulled her closer, smiling at her incredible beauty. Her face looked peaceful in sleep, features relaxed for the first time since I'd met her. Her hair was slightly mussed from sleep, but fuck was she gorgeous.

I brushed the stray hair back from her face and felt her stir softly under my touch. She shifted slightly, then slowly blinked her eyes open, frowning a moment before her eyes met mine, then a soft smile settled onto her lips.

"Hi," she murmured.

"Hi," I said, tucking the hair behind her ear and cupping her face. I wanted to kiss her so badly it hurt.

"Sorry I cried all over you last night—again." She smiled sheepishly now.

I chuckled. "Luce, don't apologize for crying. I've told you that before." At least, I thought I had. "It's okay, you know, to show your emotions with me. You can be vulnerable if you need to be. No judgments here."

She smiled. "Thank you," she whispered. "I should get going, though." She started to sit up, but I pulled her back down.

"Not yet," I said, staring into her eyes. "Just a little longer."

She nodded and snuggled into me, her head on my chest and arm going around me. I tightened my hold on her and kissed her forehead, lips lingering on the skin there.

"Natsu," she breathed, and I felt her shudder against me.

I moved my hand to cup her face, then tilted it up to meet mine, pressing my lips against hers as I did. I breathed out a long sigh at the feel of those lips beneath mine, but before I could deepen the kiss, a loud knock sounded from her bedroom door, which was audible even to me as she had left the door connecting our rooms open last night.

We pulled apart instantly and Lucy pushed off of me, straightening her dress and smoothing out her hair. She turned back to me and placed a finger to her lips. I nodded in understanding and she flashed out of the room. She didn't close the door all the way, but left it cracked slightly. I wasn't sure if that was done on purpose or if that had been done in her haste to get out of here.

I listened as Lucy opened the door and spoke to someone on the other side. I could just barely make out the words.

"Oh, hello, Wendy." Lucy greeted, sounding only slightly frazzled at the sudden interruption.

"Your Majesty!" A youthful voice responded. "I came to offer my most humble gratitude."

"What for, Wendy?" Lucy asked, sounding surprised.

"For taking me with you to your birthday celebration!" The girl replied excitedly.

Lucy laughed softy. "I didn't know it was a celebration…"

"I know," she said, "but you still brought me with you, and I had a really fun time!"

"Well, you're welcome, Wendy. I'm glad you had fun. You deserve to have a little fun now and then."

"So do you, Queen Lucy!" she exclaimed.

"I suppose," Lucy agreed, though she didn't sound very convincing.

I frowned. I wondered what kind of life Lucy lived as a vampire princess-turned-Queen. Her mother died on her birthday and she was forced to take her place as ruler at a young age. That hardly seemed like the ideal life to me. From what I had seen since coming here, it didn't look like Lucy did a whole lot of relaxing either. She seemed constantly on edge to me, mind working on overtime.

"Can I come in for a minute? I really wanted to talk to you about something…" the girl let the words trail off and I felt my frown deepen as I wondered what this girl had come all the way to the Queen's bedchamber to talk about.

"Um…" I could hear the hesitation in Lucy's voice. She wasn't sure how to turn this girl down, I guessed. "I'm a little busy right now, Wendy." Lucy said apologetically.

"Oh," now the girl hesitated. "Lucy," she began, and I noticed how she dropped the Queen title. I wondered if she would get chastised for it. "Why are you hiding in here?"

I stiffened, and could bet Lucy did as well.

"I not hiding," Lucy replied after a moment of hesitation.

"You are," she insisted. "I know you, Lucy, more than anyone—except maybe Gray. I know that you've been hiding something in here." She pitched her voice low so that I had to strain to hear it. "And I know that's the reason you had that mark on your neck yesterday."

I just barely made out the light gasp Lucy gave, then the soft sounds of shuffling and the door closing.

"What do you know, Wendy?" Lucy demanded, voice slightly louder now.

 _So she let the kid inside…_

"I only know that you've been acting strange lately," said the little vampire, "and I had a feeling something was up since you started hiding in your room so much, and then I saw that mark… Lucy, who do you have hiding up here?"

I nearly gasped myself, mostly out of surprise at how damn bold this kid was. I didn't think vampires _could_ talk to their Queen like that. Maybe she had superpowers or something.

"That… is a very bold accusation to make, Wendy," Lucy replied in a chastising tone.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but you're like a second mother to me, especially since I don't remember my own… and I really hate seeing you like this."

I could hear tears in her voice as she pleaded with Lucy to confide in her.

"Please, Lucy, please tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone else. You know you can trust me."

"I don't want to put this burden on you, Wendy," Lucy responded, sounding tired. I could sense her resolve, she was moments away from crumbling.

"And I don't want you to have to shoulder this burden alone anymore," the girl, Wendy, countered. "Please, I'm not a little girl anymore, I can handle it."

Lucy sighed heavily, and I held my breath as I waited for her to drop the bomb, unsure whether I should be afraid or not. She sounded young, like a child, but that didn't mean she wasn't powerful.

"Alright, Wendy," Lucy finally replied, "but you have to swear on your life not to tell a soul."

"I-I swear,"

Another long moment of silence. Then, "I have a human."

"What?" The word was barely audible and I wasn't even sure if I'd heard it or just imagined it.

"But it's not what you think," Lucy went on hastily. "He's not some ordinary human, he's… my soulmate."

"Do those really exist?" Wendy asked, curiosity evident in her tone.

"They do," Lucy replied. "I didn't believe it myself until… until I met him. Then I was positive. It's this deep feeling whenever I'm near him. I can't explain it, but it's real. We can't tell anyone. They wouldn't understand and they wouldn't believe it."

"I won't tell!" she exclaimed quickly. "Can… Can I meet him? Please?"

I stiffened once more. _Meet me?_ What did she want to meet me for? Maybe she wanted a snack… Would Lucy allow that? Would it hurt as badly as it did when Minerva and Yukino bit into me?

"I don't know…"

"Please?!" she repeated. "I promise I'll be nice."

Lucy snorted a laugh. "Fine, but keep your thoughts to yourself."

"Okay!"

I frowned, wondering what that meant, then steeled myself as two sets of footsteps came toward my door.

Lucy pushed the door opened to reveal a girl of no more than thirteen, with blue hair and a kind smile. She didn't look like any vampire I'd ever seen.

 _However…_

I frowned, trying to figure out why her face looked so familiar.

"Wait," she said, her smile turning into a frown as well. "I know you!" She pointed at me.

Lucy's eyes went wide. "You do?"

"Yeah! That's the boy I gave bread and fish to!"

" _Go, get out of here before someone sees you, stupid!"_

The blue hair, those eyes…

"You remember that?" Lucy asked her in astonishment.

She nodded. "I remember him. It was a long time ago, but I remember seeing a boy sneak into my village. He tried to fish in our stream but he didn't use any bait." She rolled her eyes in amusement. "I felt bad because he looked really skinny and frail, even worse than we did in our poor village, so I gave him the bread and fish I had. I never saw him after that."

"I never made it home after that," I said, feeling a need to defend myself. "Saber-Bitch abducted me."

"Minerva?" she asked, turning to Lucy with wide eyes.

Lucy nodded. "Minerva had Natsu as her prisoner for three years before I found him in the forest—near death."

"You should have told me, Lucy, I could have—"

"Hush," Lucy hushed her gently. "He's alive, isn't he? There's no need to stress over it now. Anyway, now do you see why I have to keep him hidden from the others?"

Wendy nodded, looking back at me when a sad smile. "Don't worry, Lucy, your secret is safe with me."

She left after that and Lucy went to take a shower, promising that I could take one once she was finished. While she showered, I walked around her room—not snooping, just looking at her things. I wanted to know more about her, that was all. Nothing screamed "vampire," which I couldn't decide if I found surprising or not. On one hand, I'd always had this vision in my head that vampires were evil creatures of darkness, which seemed true when I was staying with Sabertooth, but now… Lucy didn't seem like a demon from hell, not at all. If not for those fangs and those eyes… she wouldn't be a demon, she would be an angel.

 _She is an angel,_ my inner voice said, _an angel who saved your life in more ways than one._

"My angel," I murmured, smiling to myself as I continued to look around.

Lucy's room didn't have that many personal possessions, which I found curious. Did she not own many things, or did she just not care about things like that? Her room suggested that its owner lacked personality, with bare walls and desks, neutral shades on the walls and furniture, but Lucy had a lot of personality, I thought. At least from what I'd seen.

She had about as many personal possessions as I did when I lived with Igneel. Which is to say—none. Besides the tiara she wore to her vampire meetings, or the zodiac charm bracelet, there was nothing in this room that said anything about her.

"Huh." I sat down in the chair at her desk and propped my elbow on the top, resting my head in my palm as I frowned in thought. "Strange…" What girl didn't have stuff? I didn't know what kind of crap girls liked, but I expected jewlery or dolls or _something_. Lucy's room… she had nothing.

A slip of paper was sticking out of the desk drawer to my left and, even though I knew I was being nosy, I pulled open the drawer to see what it was. If it was her diary, I'd close the drawer and pretend I hadn't seen it, but if it was something else…

I opened the drawer. Inside lay a collection of papers, all handwritten in smooth, neat cursive. I couldn't read cursive, but I pulled out the top sheet anyway and attempted to make sense of the writing.

 _Something about… dragons?_

"What are you doing?"

I shoved the paper back in the drawer and gave her a sheepish smile.

"Uh… hi?"

She rolled her eyes and strode past me, wrapped in only a towel, to her huge closet, disappearing inside.

"It's not polite to snoop, you know," she called out to me.

"I can't read cursive!" I retorted in my defense.

"Oh," she popped her head out to give me an incredulous look, "so I suppose that paper just fell out of my desk drawer and landed in your lap?"

I shrugged. She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

"You can shower now, if you want!" she called out to me.

"I could have just showered with you and saved time…" I muttered under my breath.

"I heard that, pervert!" she shot back.

I chuckled and followed her into the closet. I pulled her against my chest, ignoring her protests, and pressed my lips to her neck.

"I'm sorry," I whispered against her skin. She shuddered beneath my touch. "I can't help it if you're irresistible…"

"S-Stop!" she said, making a half-hearted attempt to push me away. I wrapped my arms around her tighter and pressed my lips more firmly against her. "Mm…"

"Why?" I asked, kissing her again and fingering the edge of her towel.

She elbowed me in the gut, hard. I grunted in pain and stepped back, chuckling at her murderous glare.

"Go shower!" she commanded, pointing out the door.

I gave a mock bow. "Whatever you say, m'lady."

She scowled. I ignored that and headed into the bathroom to shower.

"Want me to sing for you again?" I called as I stripped out of my clothes.

"Sweet Mavis, _no!_ " she groaned in response. I chuckled and started the shower, immediately stepping under the warm water. Man, it felt so good to finally _shower._ I had never had such hot water before. That was another good thing about being here—the hot running water.

" _Hey girl, you know who you've been missing? Meeee. Meee!"_ I belted out, ignoring Lucy's protest. " _I got that love medicinal. I'll make you feel invincible. I'm more than recreational. I'm what you need!"_ Maybe Chris Lane was kinda lame, but I thought this song was funny as hell. " _I'll be your smooth ride, that late night, your Walter White high. I'll be your first time, that's so right, get you falling in love at the end of the night. With that good-ish, that long trip, that sugar on your lips. That favorite habit, gotta have it, you can't quit… I got your fix!"_

"Very funny, Natsu!" Lucy called from outside the door. I laughed and hummed under my breath as I finished my shower.

When I got out, I found fresh clothes and a clean towel laid out on the counter for me. I wondered where all these clothes were coming from, and how Lucy managed to get them without any of her vampire coven noticing and asking questions. Not that it mattered, they were clothes, so who was I to complain about where they came from?

Once I was dressed, I looked around the counter to see if there was anything else I could freshen up with. There was only one toothbrush, pink and already damp—definitely Lucy's—so I couldn't use that.

I picked it up anyway and added toothpaste, scrubbing at my teeth three times before deciding they were clean enough, then rinsed with some of the mouthwash that sat on the counter. That would have to do for now. There wasn't much else I could do.

I came out of the bathroom to find Lucy brushing out her hair, those long, golden locks flowing around her bare shoulders. She glanced over at me, giving me a small smile that lit up her face.

 _Damn, she's beautiful._

Her smile slowly faded, replaced by another look I was starting to know well: desire.

"Natsu," she said, a warning note to her voice as she set the brush down on the table in front of her.

"Lucy," I stepped forward, holding her gaze as I got closer, watching the look of longing in her eyes grow. She swallowed hard, eyes traveling down my body once before meeting my gaze again.

"Like what you see?" I smirked.

"Shut up," she commanded, then stood from her chair, but before we could close the short distance between us, someone knocked on that damn door once more.

 _Ignore them,_ I mouthed. Lucy bit her lip and turned her ear toward the door, rolling her eyes after a moment.

 _I can't,_ she mouthed back, then gave some name that I didn't quite catch and pointed at the door that led to my room. I rolled my eyes dramatically and made my way over as quietly as I could, closing the door all but a crack behind me.

A moment later I heard Lucy's door open and a murmured conversation that I couldn't make out took place. I strained to hear it, but Lucy was making a point to keep it quiet. I wondered if she was trying to hide something from me or from whoever she was speaking to.

"What?!" she exclaimed, loud enough for me to catch, then a groan. "Thank you. I'll… come find you later." She shut the door, and I heard the lock slide into place. Honestly it was a wonder she ever got anything done with how many people came knocking at her door.

After a minute or two, I finally heard Lucy's footsteps headed this way. I glanced over from where I sat against the wall. She stood in the doorway, looking tired from just that conversation. Something was up.

"What's wrong?"

* * *

 **mariahcarmichael.3** , Such great theories! Some of which are certainly correct~~ XD

 **Terra of Life** , Great question! Wendy is special, that's all I will say! There will be more backstory on Wendy later, don't worry.

 **ThayetJade** , Omg lolol, well it's possible XD Could be... guess we shall see. But yeah, what a horrible way to spend your birthday! So sad!

 **LittleLadyRedfox** , True, can't beat some free dough lololol

 **Insane-As-The-Mind** , Glad you're back!

 **Dragneel562** , That poor soul lolol. I hate surprises, I would be so embarrassed if someone were to do that to me!

 **Grimjaww** , Aw thanks! Fairy Tail is the best so I know you'll love it more and more as you go on! I hope you like this story too! Thanks for the support!

 **Forever Nalu** , Not you specifically, my lovely! That chapter was just super quiet for some reason! Of course I love you! You always review! Your support means a lot XD Well, since you like surpirses, this is the story for you~ I do try to throw in as many as I can.


	21. Chapter 20: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Twenty: Lucy**

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I… shouldn't talk about it," I replied, striding in a few steps but not daring to sit near him. "Vampire stuff." I shrugged helplessly, not wanting to burden him with 'evil creature of the night' drama.

"I could help take your mind off of things?" he offered with a cocky grin.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "This isn't a problem that can be easily forgotten, Natsu."

In fact, this issue would need to be resolved fast or all hell would break loose—literally.

"Let me try anyway."

He stood up from the mattress, never breaking eye contact with me. I noticed then, from the corner of my eye, that the shackles were still lying in a pile on the floor over in the far corner.

 _Right, I crushed those…_

He strode forward with slow, deliberate movements. There was a predatory gleam in his eyes, the kind that made me want to lower my gaze in submission. It made me squirm uncomfortably and question who the dominant was in this situation. Clearly, it _wasn't_ me.

I didn't even realize I had been slowly backing away from him until my back suddenly hit a wall. I let out a surprised squeak but didn't move, didn't break that piercing gaze that held me prisoner in the dark, emerald orbs that burned into mine. I swallowed hard as he drew nearer and nearer, shifting on my feet as if seconds away from fleeing.

"Lucy…"

 _Mavis… why did he have to say my name like that? So low and throaty…_

When he finally reached me, he slammed both hands on either side of my head, making me wince from the loud _smack._

"Sorry," he whispered, eyes trailing down to my lips, which parted under his gaze as though he had somehow mentally commanded them to do so. The sweet/spicy scent of honey and cinnamon flooded my nose and I breathed it in deeply as he leaned closer, closer…

Finally, his lips pressed against mine, hard, crushing the back of my head against the wall. I lifted my hands to his chest to push him away, to send him flying back onto the mattress and then tell him the real reason I was here. Instead, my fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt and pulled him closer so that our chests were pressed together.

I moaned as his lips moved against mine, feeling that same heat from last time flooding through my veins.

His hands moved to my face, then down my body, thumbs brushing the sides of my breasts as he went. Down my sides, further still to the edge of my dress. One hand slid under the silky fabric and fingered the lacy thong there. I shifted against that hand, hips moving to meet it, to encourage it to touch, to feel, to tear fabric.

"Mm, Lucy…" my name a moan upon his lips.

It was heady, this feeling, and the harder I tried to push him away, the harder my fingers clung to him, an almost desperate feeling curling up inside of me, begging me to just let him take me.

His fingers massaged over the thin fabric of my thong, causing a shiver to race through me and a moan to escape my lips.

"You are intoxicating…" he murmured against my lips. His fingers looped around the tops of my thong, then slowly began to slide it from my hips.

 _Slow, too damn slow!_

He was taking his time with me, not rushing for an instant as he worked the thin fabric down my legs, then let it fall noiselessly to the floor at my feet. He then brought a finger up the side of my thigh—eyes boring into mine, watching my reactions—and then slid one inside.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head as another long moan passed through my lips. He felt inside of me, finger pressing and massaging my walls, as his free hand slid up my dress to caress the bare skin there.

"Such soft skin…" he breathed. I shuddered again at both the throaty sound of his words and the pressure he applied inside of me.

His hand slid up farther until he reached my breast, pinching and massaging one through the thin fabric of my lacy bra.

"Oh," I moaned as his hands worked and his mouth kissed along the bare shoulder of my strapless dress.

My eyes pinched shut as he found a spot inside me that had me crying out in seconds. My teeth clenched together and my body gave one final shake before coming apart in his hand.

He didn't seem to mind, though, in fact, he brought the hand up to his lips, which dripped with my juices, and licked his fingers clean. It should have been a huge turnoff, but suddenly I couldn't get him closer fast enough.

When he finished licking clean the juices of my orgasm, I pulled his face back to mine, crushing my lips to his and eliciting a groan from deep within his throat. His hands lightly grazed down my sides, caught the edge of my dress, then slowly slid it up my body and over my head, tossing it to the floor before bringing our lips back together.

His hands went to my waist and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around him and threaded my fingers back in his hair.

He backed up—slowly, carefully—until his heels brushed the edge of the mattress. Then he turned and lowered himself—with me still clinging to him like a vise—down onto the mattress so that he hovered over me, somehow managing to not break that passionate kiss.

My legs wrapped around him, bringing him even closer as my hands worked to pull his shirt off. My hands splayed out over his broad chest and shoulders and back, feeling the muscles there that I had no idea how he managed to keep so strong.

"Mm." He leaned into my touch, his own hand feeling up and down my naked flesh, hot as a damn flame as it burned my skin.

"Natsu," I breathed, pulling away from his lips slightly. "I want to taste you…"

He froze for half a heartbeat, then bared his neck to me.

"Not like that." I grinned. He furrowed his brows in confusion.

I moved my hands around to his chest and shoved so that he fell onto his back, then slid down his body so that I was at eye-level with his hips.

I made fast work getting his pants and shorts off, and immediately that heady scent filled my nostrils. If he got to taste me, it was only fair that I got a taste of him as well…

"L-Luce…" He shifted under me as I licked my lips hungrily, taking in the sight of him completely naked before me. He was much bigger than I'd expected, but then, I supposed that made sense considering his body size. "What are you—" he stopped when my tongue flicked out and licked the tip of his member. He groaned loudly and fisted the blankets tightly.

With a grin, I repeated the action, causing little beads of creamy liquid to drip from his tip. I lapped those up, then sheathed my teeth and took him in deep.

"Fuck!" he cried out in response, and I moved my mouth up and down his considerable length, tongue swirling around it as I did.

 _His taste is even more intoxicating than his scent…_ I thought as I took him in deeper, far enough for him to touch the back of my throat, but I had a very high gag reflex and even something of this size wasn't about to make me gag.

"Lucy, stop," he moaned, as I quickened my actions, taking him in further and sucking as I moved to make the feeling harder. "I'm going to come…" he warned, but I ignored him and continued to take him in. "Fuck, Luce…"

 _Harder. Faster. Suck. Lick. Repeat._

When he came, teeth gritted together, hands fisting roughly in my hair this time, I took all of it in and then swallowed it down. The taste was identical to his scent: cinnamon and honey, and I almost wanted to make him come again just so I could taste those glorious juices one more time.

Before I got the chance, Natsu had leaned down and gripped me by the tops of my arms, pulling me up and under him in one fell swoop. He hovered over me, breath ragged and panting, eyes nearly black with lust and desire and _oh how fucking sexy was that._

"You. Are. Amazing." he said, enunciating each word with a gasp of breath, then brought his lips back to mine.

His hips ground against mine, and I could feel him growing hard again. My hands went around to his back, nails digging into soft flesh, and he groaned in response, pressing against me hard until I, too, moaned.

It only took a few minutes before we were both ready again and he wasted no time in plunging inside of me this time.

When he was fully inside of me, and his hips came together with mine, I let out a sound of pure ecstasy, head lolling back against the pillow once more, teeth clamped on my lip at the almost overwhelming sensation of this union.

Natsu's body gave a similar reaction, head tipping back, mouth open in a silent moan, body shuddering against mine as he waited a moment, just taking in all these sensations.

Then he began to move.

His eyes locked on mine as his hips pulled back and then came together with mine again and again. His eyes shone with emotion, and I felt my face mirroring his own as those emotions shot through me like something physical—striking me right in my heart.

"You are a goddess," he breathed. "You are heaven and hell mixed into one being. You are life itself."

I shuddered at the words and closed my eyes, unable to look into that intense, emotional gaze any longer.

I clung to his back with one hand, slipping my other into his hair, all the while pulling him as close as he could get.

"Natsu…" I whispered, just a breath on his ear, "bite me."

He hesitated only a moment before slipping a hand into my hair and tilting my head back.

Despite not being a vampire, he found the place where my carotid artery was in seconds. His tongue slid over it, his teeth grazed the surface, then bit down hard, as if trying to pierce the skin. His mouth and tongue worked the area, sucking so hard I was positive I would come back with flowering purple bruises, but I didn't give a damn. It just felt so good.

I clung to his hair as he worked his magic using just his mouth and the rotation of his hips, desperately trying to pull him closer. He was still too far away, even though I was sure there wasn't a single place where we weren't already connected.

His expert tongue slid up my neck, leaving a trail of fire in its wake, then immediately slipping into my already parted lips, seeking out mine.

His hips seemed to move in rhythm with his dancing tongue, and his hand reached down to massage around my clit with a thumb, while the other still held a fistful of my hair. I moaned at all the overwhelming sensations going through my body at once.

 _Damn, I can't stay away from this boy,_ I thought, as he delved deeper and deeper into my very soul, claiming every piece me.

 _I need him… I can't go on without him. I've finally found someone that I'd be willing to spend eternity with and he's a human. A fragile little human whose heart still beats steadily inside his chest. He has his whole life ahead of him still, yet some twist of fate brought him into my life and I could never really have him._

The thought made me almost sad and I felt tears prick at my eyes, but I couldn't let him see that.

I pulled away from his lips, eliciting the _sexiest_ growl in response, and pulled sharply on his hair to bare his neck to me. He moaned as my lips pressed against the soft flesh there, much in the same way his had claimed my neck moments ago.

I let my lips and tongue do all the work, willing myself not to take another drop of this boy's blood—he'd already had plenty of feedings; I wasn't going to subject him to anymore, no matter how damn much I craved it.

"God, Lucy…" his breath shuddered out as he pulled me closer. "I've never felt like this before…" His voice was barely more than a whisper, but it was enough to reach my ears and cause a shiver to race through me.

There were many things those words could have meant, really, but I _felt_ them deep within my being, felt them burn through my blood and set it on fire. My skin was a flame, and he was the candle.

"Ah," he let out a soft cry as if he too had felt the burn.

Or maybe I had it all wrong... I wasn't the flame at all— _he_ was. His fire burned every inch of my mind, body, and soul, he set me aflame like a candle and then kept on burning until I was nothing more than a puddle of wax beneath him.

"Oh!" I moaned loudly as his body slammed into mine, harder now, and my head fell back against the pillow. His mouth found mine instantly, tongue demanding entrance and then dancing with mine as he continued to fill me with that raging fire until I couldn't take it another moment.

I exploded around him, that fire seeming to pour out of me, through him; out of him and through me. Together we came, clinging to one another like our very lives depended on it when in reality this merging of souls would only doom the both of us.

As we lay there in each other's arms, him resting against my chest—fingers lightly brushing up my side—I contemplated how I could possibly make this situation right again.

Sleeping with Natsu, twice, was beyond dangerous. If Minerva had smelled his scent on me just from one bite… my coven was bound to smell it, too, sooner or later, and when they did we were both in a world of trouble.

"What are you thinking about so intently?" he asked me, fingers still moving up and down my bare skin, sending scorching fire through my blood that I pointedly ignored. My arm cradled his neck slightly, while my free hand absentmindedly ran through his hair, which was now fluffy and clean from the shower he'd taken earlier.

I blinked in surprise at his question and my fingers momentarily stilled in his hair.

"Hey," he objected, "don't stop petting me."

I giggled despite myself and resumed running my fingers through his pink locks. It still amazed me that he could have _pink_ hair, but somehow it suited him.

I heaved a sigh, which caused my chest to rise and fall, and his head to lift slightly. "I was just thinking about _this_ ," a vague gesture between us, "this… _thing_ between us."

"What about it?" he asked, voice careful. His fingers softly kneaded the skin of my side and stomach. I liked the way it felt. It was soft, but it felt nice.

"We can't keep doing this," I told him, though my arms instinctively pulled him closer as I said this.

He shifted so that he was now propped up on an elbow, leaning over me. His hair was getting long, just brushing the ends of his chin, and needed a trim, but it was sexy as all hell.

"Why not?" His voice was almost demanding, the tone of it catching me off-guard for a moment. "Lucy," he continued while I tried to regain composure, "I love you."

I sucked in a sharp breath, eyes going wide and mouth falling open in complete and utter astonishment.

 _No! This is exactly what I was trying to avoid! You can't love me!_

"You—"

"Don't," he cut off my protests with a finger to my lips, and goddamn was that a sexy look in his eyes. "Don't deny it, and don't try to justify it or make it not true. I love you, Lucy, and I know you love me too."

"H-How could you think that about me?" I snapped, uncertainty making me snippy.

"Because I'm still alive, aren't I?" He traced a finger down my neck, to the carotid artery that pulsed in rhythm with his beating heart. "You could've left me out there to die that night. Or you could have drained my blood that first day when you fed on me? But you didn't. You saved my 'pathetic human life' as you so lovingly put it." He playfully rolled his eyes. "You've given me food, way more than I've ever had, even before living with vampires. You've given me shelter from those fuckers at Sabertooth—I'm not stupid enough to think I'd survive out there on my own, at least not anymore. You've given me a bed, but most of all…" his eyes met mine, and mine shone with tears that threatened to spill over, "you've given me your heart, Lucy. Let me do the same in return; let me love you."

His expression was so sincere, so utterly hopeful and determined and full of promise, that I almost missed the underlying question beneath those words.

I blinked the tears free and frowned up at him. "What are you saying…?"

"I submit my will to you, Lucy," he said, making me gasp. "Make me one of you."

* * *

 **A/N** : Alright, for those of you who have been waiting and waiting for some more Nalu action... You're welcome XD Personally, I thought this one came out pretty hott... So I hope you all liked it too.

Everybody's super curious about what happened with Lucy last chapter... Sorry guys, gotta wait! Lucy was a bit too preoccupied this chapter to worry about vampire affairs. Damn shame...

 **silver light of dawn** , Well... if this chapter didn't answer your question, the next one will lol.

 **Juliastes** , Lolol, you're not wrong XD

 **MorriganFae** , Oh, my dear friend lololol. Do you feel better now, after this chapter? XD Here's some action for ya! Yes, you will know Wendy's secret eventually XD

 **Forever Nalu** , Haha, of course you are! I always take note of those who review every week. I appreciate your support!

 **Guest** , I love you too, whoever you are! XD And don't you worry, this story has a long ways to go!

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	22. Chapter 21: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Twenty-One: Natsu**

"Make me one of you," I said, holding her gaze.

I was determined in my decision to become one of her kind. Really, was there any other option? It wasn't even a real question anymore, not after I had been with her in all the most intimate ways; not after I had felt her very soul wrap around mine like an embrace. Lucy and I fit together like pieces of a puzzle. She brought out the parts in me that I hadn't even known existed until I'd met her. I didn't want to ever lose this feeling—this feeling of utter completion and wholeness. And more than that, I finally felt like I belonged somewhere.

"Lucy, I love you," I continued when she remained speechless. "I've never loved anyone before… not really. This feeling we share, it's real." I cupped her face in my hands. She was so deceptively delicate on the surface… "I never want to lose this feeling. Please, baby, turn me."

"N-Natsu!" she exclaimed, looking horrified. She shoved me off of her.

I fell on my back on the mattress, blinking in surprise. I sat up and saw Lucy pacing in front of me, already clothed in her dress. She looked distressed, which made no sense to me. Didn't this solve all of our problems? If I was a vampire like her then she wouldn't have to worry about her coven coming after me. I wouldn't have to hide in this room anymore, even though lately it hadn't been so bad… I could—

"I know what you're thinking," she suddenly spoke up, breaking into my thoughts, "and it's way more complicated than you simply becoming a vampire."

"Isn't that the whole problem?" I asked, watching as she continued to pace in front of me.

"That isn't—ugh!" She groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation. "Natsu, your humanity isn't the most scandalous thing about this arrangement."

"Scandalous?" I deadpanned. "Really?"

She turned a glare my way. "You can't just become a vampire on a whim," she snapped, ignoring my question.

"It wasn't on a whim, Luce," I defended myself, tugging on my pants and then standing as well. She glowered up at me when I did but I ignored that. "I told you, _I love you._ " Her expression softened at those words. "I want to be with you, Lucy, and this seems to be the only way. Besides, I'm tired of being weak and pathetic."

Her face fell. She closed her eyes and gave a soft sigh. "Natsu, you aren't weak and pathetic."

"Compared to you and your kind, yeah, I am," I countered.

She flinched slightly. "I know," she whispered, "but, you don't understand. I can't do this to you, Natsu! It isn't right. I can't condemn you to this fate as others have been before you."

Tears shone in her eyes as she looked up at me. Surprise made me momentarily speechless as I watched her features contort with pain.

"Being a vampire isn't some joy ride," she continued. "I've never been human, so I can't say anything about it from a personal perspective, but I know others who have been and the things they tell me are just horrible.

"Remember Wendy? She was once human. She nearly died in her village, and it was a forced turning that saved her life, and even then just barely. Now, she hardly has any memories from her human life. That isn't normal, but there are… malfunctions that occur. You can never be certain what will happen to a human who has been turned."

"I don't care," I stated, in a harsher tone than I'd meant to. "It's _my_ life, and I think it's worth the risk."

"Well, I don't!" she exclaimed. "I'm not risking something terrible happening to you. Natsu, I love you too much to allow something like that to happen."

A smile pulled at the edges of my lips.

She scowled. "This isn't funny, Natsu!"

"I'm not laughing," I said, still grinning. "You said 'I love you'."

She blinked at me for a moment, then rolled her eyes. "Don't be a child. You're not off the hook, Natsu."

I sighed, smile fading as I thought over her earlier words. "Nothing is going to happen to me," I murmured.

"It's not just that," she whispered. "There are laws to follow, and rituals, and protocols. I can't turn a human just because I feel like it."

"But you're the Queen," I replied, frowning.

"It doesn't matter!" she exclaimed. "The Queen has more laws to abide by than any other vampire. Plus, my entire coven is being watched by the VEC—"

"The what?" I interrupted.

"The Vampire Elite Council," she explained. I opened my mouth to ask what the hell that was, but she beat me to it. "It's our government—the very Council that rules over all the covens of Fiore. My coven… well, they like to get into trouble." She rolled her eyes at this. "So, in exchange for a pardon, I had to offer up my coven's services for the next few months. That in itself allows the VEC to keep their eyes on us."

"That's a little creepy." I wrinkled my nose at the thought of vampires even scarier than the normal ones out there keeping a close watch on this place. "What does that mean for us?"

"Us?" she echoed, frowning.

"Yeah, you and me." I gestured between the two of us.

"Natsu," her tone was exasperated, "there is no 'us'."

I scowled. "How can you say that after what we just did?" I demanded, channeling anger to hide the hurt I felt from her words. Why was she being so difficult about this? She admitted to loving me in return, so why couldn't she just turn me and be done with it? To hell with her KFC or whatever, this was about her and I. They couldn't do anything about it once it was done.

She groaned and turned her back on me, slamming a fist into the wall so hard plaster fell down around her. I sucked in a sharp breath at the sight. Sometimes I forgot that she was a powerful vampire.

"There _shouldn't_ be an 'us,'" she corrected herself in a soft voice, barely audible to my ears. "This… connection between us shouldn't exist. It isn't natural; _it isn't fair_." Her last words were a mere breath, and I could just make out the sounds of tears in those words.

"Lucy," I tried.

"You can't love me, Natsu!" she shouted, slamming more fists into the wall. "You can't!"

"Yeah, well, I already do. So deal with it."

She glanced back at me, her face streaked with tears, expression contorted with pain. I ached to go to her but had a feeling she wouldn't accept my comfort just then.

"You shouldn't," she told me, tone flat. Her tears dripped silently from her eyes as her gaze fell on mine.

"I _do_ ," I repeated with conviction. I stepped closer, slowly, watching her gaze turn wary at my approach. I kept my eyes locked on hers… then fell to my knees at her feet.

Her eyes widened to saucers, her whole body seeming to freeze into place, like a statue or a block of ice. "N-Natsu—"

"Lucy, baby, you don't have to go through this alone," I began, still holding that gaze. "I may not understand all of the specifics of becoming a vampire, or any of the politics that go into it, but I understand my feelings for you. I need to be with you, Lucy. We're soulmates—you said so yourself—that means we belong together! I beg of you, Lucy, turn me into one of you. Let's be together for real; for eternity."

Her face radiated the emotions that raged within her: anger, sadness, hope, love, fear. All of them showed on her face as she looked down at me.

I didn't know anything about whatever rituals went into begging for vampirism, but on a whim I bowed low before her, hands and nose touching the floor. "My Queen, I surrender my will to you; I surrender my _life_ to you."

It was almost exactly what I had said earlier, but I had no fucking clue what I was doing, only that I would lay down my life—literally—before this woman. I would live or die for her, just so I could be with her. I'd never wanted anything more than I wanted this, in that moment.

"Stop saying that!" she screamed at me, voice full of anguish. "Please, Natsu! I can't do this to you! You don't understand! Being a vampire isn't a cure to our problems, it's a curse. I won't curse you to this existence. I refuse to do this to you."

"Please…" I breathed out, hot tears now spilling from my eyes. I was losing hope. There was nothing else I could do. I was literally on my hands and knees, begging for my life, for a new life, but she continued to refuse me.

I heard her drop to her knees in front of me, then felt her arms pull me up and wrap around my neck, clinging to me as we both shed tears. I cried because I couldn't have her, and she cried because she couldn't offer me the one thing I so desperately needed.

We stayed like that for a long time, until she finally pulled back and cupped my face between her hands, thumbs brushing the stray tears from my eyes.

"How can fate be so cruel?" she whispered, a sad smile on her lips. "I finally found someone I can truly be with, someone whom I would gladly spend eternity with, and he's a human."

I stayed silent, just listening as she continued to speak, hoping her words would help me to understand.

"Still," she continued, thumb brushing against my lips now. I fought back a shiver at her soft touch. "I can't deny this connection we share any longer. It's too painful to ignore."

"Then don't," I said quickly, latching onto her words. I wrapped my arms around her back, pulling her closer. "We're meant to be, Lucy. Just let us be together."

"Natsu," she whispered, and her tone made me afraid that she was about to tell me we couldn't be together in any way, shape or form, that she didn't _want_ to be with me, but after a long moment, her smile grew and she leaned her forehead against mine. "I can't live without you another day," she said at last, "and I'm tired of trying. If my coven finds out about us… well, I no longer give a shit. They can't hurt you so long as you're with me. I'll protect you."

She wrapped her arms around my neck once more and held on tight. I returned the embrace, holding her as tight as my arms would allow and buried my face in her neck.

"I love you so much," I breathed into her skin.

She shivered. "I love you, too, Natsu."

…

The next few days passed by in a blur. Lucy spent as much time with me as she could while still attending to her normal Queenly duties. We spent a lot of time in bed, on the mattress on the floor in my room, but our clothes stayed on—mostly. We didn't have sex again, not since that day, but Lucy slept in my arms every night after that, and neither of us had another nightmare.

Things were going smoothly—no one in the coven was the wiser about mine and Lucy's relationship, and I was starting to actually feel happy for the first time in my life. It was almost like we were a real couple.

Sometimes Wendy would come visit while Lucy was away, keeping me company in the hours I would normally be alone. I enjoyed her company, but it wasn't the same as Lucy's.

Currently, Lucy lay wrapped in my arms as we prepared for sleep. These were my favorite times, as I got to hold her close without fear of interruption. Sometimes she would tell me stories about her life, but she didn't have very many happy ones, and I knew she didn't like to share her sadness with me, no matter how much I told her I didn't mind. Sometimes I would tell her things from before but, like her, I didn't have very many happy memories either.

Tonight, Lucy was telling me a story about her mother. I could feel her lips curling up into a smile as she spoke of her mother and felt myself smile in return. I loved when she was genuinely happy; I loved hearing stories that made her smile.

"She sounds like an amazing person," I noted when Lucy quieted.

"She truly was," Lucy agreed. "One of those rare gems that shone brighter than any star in the sky."

"Must be where you get it from," I murmured and kissed the top of her head.

She laughed. "I don't think I'll ever be half the woman she was, but I try my hardest to follow in her footsteps. I just hope I can make her proud."

"You have," I told her adamantly.

She snorted. "How can you be so sure?"

"Luce, you took over an entire coven at the age of fifteen," I reminded her. "That's no small feat. And you've managed to take care of this coven for the last three years."

She shifted so that she was now looking up at me. "Do you really think so?" The browns in her eyes shone with gold, nearly encasing the red circles around them.

I smiled. "I know so." I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. "There's no doubt in my mind…" I said against her lips, pressing her into the mattress. "...that you've made your mother proud…" a kiss to her cheek, "and I know for a fact," I trailed my lips down her jawline, feeling her shudder in response, "that you'll continue to do amazing things for this coven." I kissed her neck, in that spot that she loved, and heard her sigh.

I let my teeth graze the skin of her neck, and slid a hand up her bare thigh, which was wrapped around my hip. She had on a tiny pair of shorts and no underwear, which made my mouth water at just how easy it would be to tear that fabric away and take her.

I growled deep in my throat and pressed against her, causing a gasp to escape her lips, followed by long, breathy moan. I nipped at her neck as I repeated the action as my hand began to pull at the edges of her very thin shorts, edging them down and—

"Stop." She captured my hand in hers, just as I was about to pull the thin fabric down her hips. Her eyes shone with desire, but they also held a warning look in them.

"Sorry, baby," I breathed, releasing my hold on her shorts and laying back against the pillows, breath now ragged.

She settled against my chest once more. I wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer, then closed my eyes, trying to steady my racing heart.

This happened a lot between us lately. We got pretty hot and heavy, then Lucy would push me away. She wasn't trying to tease me—it was usually me who instigated things—but it was still hard when all I wanted to do was be with her in every way possible. It wasn't just about sex, though that was part of it—it was about that connection that came from it. When we were close like that, our very souls seemed to unite, and after having been with her twice already, and having come close a number of times in the last few days, I was feeling particularly needy for it.

Of course, I couldn't tell _her_ that. I knew little about women and how they thought, but I thought I knew Lucy, and I could tell that sleeping with me caused her pain that I couldn't even begin to understand. I didn't know exactly what it was that held her back from me, but I respected her enough to hold back when she said no.

"I'm sorry," she whispered after an eternity of silence. I honestly thought she had long since fallen asleep, but she must have been as lost in thought as I was.

"For what?" I asked with a frown. I reached into the darkness and found her hand, entwining my fingers with hers.

"I know it's been hard on you…" She didn't elaborate on what exactly had been hard on me, but I could venture a pretty good guess.

"Don't worry about it," I told her, kissing her fingers then resting our linked hands against my chest, over my heart. "I don't want to pressure you or anything."

"It's not like that…" she murmured. "Believe me, Natsu, I want you just as badly as you want me."

"Then why…?"

I didn't understand, but I wanted to. Maybe if she helped me to understand, then I wouldn't feel the need to… push her to the limit. It wasn't like I did that on purpose, though. She was just _so fucking sexy_ I couldn't help myself. Between that, and the feel of her silky smooth skin, and her perfect lips beneath mine, it was impossible to resist her.

 _She is a siren, and I am her slave_.

"It's already hard enough to mask your scent…" she trailed off, tone turning slightly uncomfortable.

"Mask my—oh."

So that was why she kept pushing me away because each time we had sex my scent became more and more infused with hers. Soon, our scents would be so entwined, they would be unrecognizable from one another. They would become one in the same—two halves of a whole.

Or, so she told me.

"That makes sense," I said once she finished explaining. "Sort of."

She chuckled softly. "I know, it's a lot to take in."

"It's okay. I just wanna be with you." I hugged her to me. "In any way that I can."

"When you say things like that it makes it harder to stay away from you," she said in a low voice.

I suppressed a shudder. "In that case… you totally disgust me. I can't stand your, uh, smell."

She snorted, then laughed outright. "I feel completely appalled."

"You should," I replied seriously.

She giggled. "Go to sleep now, I have an early day ahead of me."

"Don't you mean an early night?" I deadpanned.

She whacked my side. "Hey! To _us_ , it _is_ day."

"I know, I know." I chuckled, then whispered, "Good night, my love."

"Good night, Natsu."

I smiled, as we once again fell asleep in each other's arms.

…

 _I am awoken with the sudden, very unwelcome, experience of having a bucket of ice cold water thrown over my body. My body jerks so hard in surprise that little jolts of pain pierce my skin. My head throbs with a migraine I can never fully get rid of, and my heart hammers so loudly even I can hear it. Or maybe that's just my imagination._

 _I blink away the water that clings to my lashes and force myself to sit up. The figure leaning casually against the wall across from me—with an innocent expression that I don't believe for even a second—is unwelcome, but certainly not the worst bloodsucker in this place. Even so, his cocky demeanor makes me want to punch a hole straight through his damn heart. Or a stake, if I had one._

 _I narrow my eyes at him, but he continues to ignore as if_ I'm _the unwelcome one here. Tch. If that's the case, I'll gladly switch places with him. Let him play prisoner for a while and see how he likes it._

" _Stink, right?" I ask in as casual a tone as I can muster._

 _Finally, his gaze turns back on mine, furious now. The reds surrounding those indigo pools flash with anger. "It's Sting, you idiot!"_

 _I shrug nonchalantly. "Is it? I honestly have a hard time keeping track of all you vamps. I think Stink suits you, though." I smirk._

 _He balls his hands into fists and I can almost swear that steam pours from his ears. "Why you—I'm going to kill you!"_

 _I give him an expression of mock horror which only spurs him on further. He flashes toward me, but before he can lay so much as a finger on me, he's being thrown back against the far wall again. I can imagine he's seeing stars right about now, based on the dazed look on his face. It takes him a full minute to recover and then, after a venomous look my way, he flees the room._

 _I don't really blame the guy. I shrink against the wall a little bit at the new presence. She leers down me, eyes cold and unforgiving. "You are such a nuisance," she tells me in a tired voice as if my very presence is exhausting. She runs a hand through her long, black hair and closes her eyes for a moment. "You know, I'm doing you a favor by keeping my subjects from simply killing you."_

Really, you're doing me a favor?

" _I suppose I should be grateful, then?" I ask flatly._

 _Her eyes flash when she looks back down at me. "You should be grateful that I saved your pathetic human life."_

 _I can't help it, I burst out into a bark of hysterical laughter. "_ Saved _me? Are you kidding? You ruined my damn life!"_

 _She arches an eyebrow. "Oh? It didn't look to me like you had much of a life to begin with. You humans are all so pathetic. You should be honored to be my pet. I don't keep many toys around, you know. Some of my kin enjoy keeping humans as playthings, but I don't indulge in such child's play. I am more monogamous with my pets."_

 _I snort. "Yeah, you're a real gem." I deadpan._

 _She narrows her eyes at me. "I don't think you're funny, boy."_

 _I feign surprise. "What? I thought you spent so much time down here because you think I'm hilarious."_

 _I hear the growl only a heartbeat before she has me pinned to the floor and her claws in my neck. Instantly, I am incapacitated, though I'm not sure if this is more from terror or something Minerva has done to me with her freak claws._

" _You are scum…" she seethes, face mere inches from mine, so close I can see the saliva gathering at the edges of her mouth. It's something I have noticed in the past six months since I've been here—piss off a vampire, and they literally salivate with rage. Like an angry dog… It's disgusting._

 _Her claws bite into my neck, harder now, to the point where I'm sure they're about to pierce my skin. But then, just as I'm bracing myself for her to literally claw my arteries out, she removes her claws and sits back. There is an exasperated look about her. "I would really love to sink my teeth into your flesh right now."_

 _I pale at the suggestion. I've received many bites from this woman in the time that I've been here and each time I swear feels worse than the last. I am certain that there is no greater pain than a vampire bite._

" _But," she continues after a long moment of silence, "I have to refrain. You're looking pale and deathly."_

" _Deathly?" I repeat flatly._

 _She ignores that. "And while I would love nothing more than to watch your sweet blood flow out before me, I don't wish to lose my little pet because of greediness on my part."_

" _...greed?"_

 _Her gaze flicks over to me. "You won't understand because you're just a child, but if you lose too much blood too quickly you will wither up and die, and if you die who will I snack on?!"_

" _Tragedy," I deadpan._

" _I know, I really am so considerate." She sighs heavily and stands to her feet. "I'll be leaving now before I can no longer resist the temptation. Unless…" Just as she reaches the door, she turns back to me. The look in her eyes is less than reassuring. I don't know what she's about to propose, but something tells me I probably don't want to know._

" _...unless?" I ask anyway because I can't stand it any longer._

" _Unless… you become one of us."_

 _My whole body goes absolutely still. Become one of them… a vampire—a blood-sucking demon from hell. I would rather do almost anything else than to become the monster that is Minerva and her fucked up servants._

 _I sneer. "I'd rather die."_

 _She gapes, clearly surprised by my response. Did she really expect for me to jump in with whoops of joy?_

" _I can force you, you know," she says after the shock has worn off._

 _I don't really believe that. The fact that she_ hasn't _forced me yet has to mean that she needs my consent or something. Surely, if all she has to do is feed on me, I would have turned long ago._

" _I don't want to be a demon," I seethe, then turn my back on her. It's a dangerous move on my part; she can easily jump me and snap my neck—or worse—but I don't care. If she wants to kill me, then she can go right ahead. It's not like it would be any worse than living the way I have been._

 _She says nothing and no attacks come. I know she has left only when the air settles into its usual mustiness. Minerva's presence always makes the air taste like ass and loneliness. Not a pleasant combination._

 _I wish, not for the first time, that Igneel was here. I gave up hope for rescue long ago—I know he'll never come for me—but I still wish he was here. Even though I spent two years without him before coming here, it still feels like it was just yesterday that he was slamming me upside the head for being an idiot. I miss those days…_

 _Now, I have nothing and no one, save for Saber-bitch and her cronies, and this constant drip of musty water that continues to plop onto my head every two seconds no matter how far I try to move away from it. These chains binding my wrists don't allow much room to move more than a couple inches at most._

Fucking vampires, _I think bitterly, scowling at the wall._ Doing me a favor, my ass.

 _Minerva was doing herself a favor by keeping me around. I don't know anything about vampires and, quite frankly, I don't_ want _to, but I can only assume that humans are much tastier than vampires. I mean, that's just obvious. A human doesn't eat another human, so why would a vampire eat another vampire? Or maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe Minerva is just a spoiled little bitch who likes having things her way. Really, it wouldn't surprise me either way. She is Queen, after all, she has to be entitled too._

 _I sigh heavily and close my eyes. I'm too tired to care about Minerva and her fucked up minions. But before sleep can claim me, an image pops into my mind, unbidden—blue fur and big eyes…_

" _I hope you're okay, little buddy," I whisper, then let the darkness consume me._

* * *

 **A/N:** Twenty-one reviews, you guys... Holy freaking hell. That's amazing! You guys are so encouraging, I might cry with joy! Thank you SO MUCH for all the wonderful comments, they really mean so much to me. I love you all, really! Thank you for sticking with me on this story, you won't regret it! So much more in store for you!

Also... Many of you are asking about the person who was talking with Lucy that poor human Natsu could not hear... Well, that was an oversight on my part. I completely spaced going back on that one and explaining who/what/where/why, so I apologize. I know you're all hella freaking curious to know! Let me try to tell you without revealing too much information about the next chapter...

So, I honestly don't remember WHO was at the door specifically because I failed to go back on that (sue me, I'm not perfect), BUT I can tell you that it was about Lucy's father. Most likely it was Erza, she's pretty mch the only one I can think of who would carry sensitive information like that to the Queen. Now, specifically WHAT that information was, you'll have to wait and see. THAT will be explained further in... I think it's the next chapter.

I'm sorry for my epic fail on that part, guys! Forgive me!

 **sassykitten1701** , Lol, your enthusiasm is very encouraging!

 **LoadedEel** , You are correct in that assumption! Lucy does not want Natsu to be a vampire like her...

 **DeathbringerOC** , Aww thank you! That means a lot! I'm so glad you're sticking around to read more stories of mine. As for your questions... spoiler alert, my friend. Natsu may or may not be anything besides a weirdo human who likes to sing obnoxiously in the shower for no reason other than to be annoying. You will have to wait and see as the story progresses... I actually find your theory to be quite fascinating. Honestly, it was not a thought of mine to consider the dragons (Igneel, Metalicana, etc.) as vampires hoarding humans. It's an intriguing thought... but, not exactly how I intended lol. I really loved your thoughts, though! It would make for an interesting twist, for sure. I'm almost sad I didn't think of it myself XD. Also, thank you so much for saying this is your favorite story. You have no idea how honored I feel hearing that. I'm so encouraged by your compliments, I almost think I can fly! XD I can rule the vampiric world!

 **MnMAllyn** , You really, truly do inspire and encourage me to keep going! If it weren't for the support you readers have given me, I wouldn't be where I am today. Honestly... it's because of the encouragement and inspiration you guys share with me that I am able to expand this project. I hope you all continue along with me throughout this journey.

 **Insane-As-The-Mind** , Thank yoooouuu! I try my best to write with good grammar. I'm not perfect, but I do my best. I also know how painful it is to read an excellent story with cringe-worthy grammar... So it really means a lot that you would say that. Thank you!

 **Terra of Life** , See... that's where things get complicated. Natsu becoming her mate doesn't solve all their problems, as she mentioned in this chapter. It isn't like a life jacket that one can throw on and protect themselves from being taken. It would protect him, somewhat, from members of her own coven. But even that's complicated in and of itself. As far as the Bitch Queen is concerned, she doesn't give a damn whether Natsu is someone else's mate. She wants him, and she'd gladly still take his sexy vampire ass if given a chance. I mean, who wouldn't? XD But no, becoming her mate wouldn't necessarily save him from Minerva. In theory, yes, one should not be able to touch a mated pair. But this is "reality" and no one CARES about the law.

 **Neko Lucy-Chan** , Welcome back! I hope your vacation was a good one! Glad to have you back!

 **Forever Nalu** , Lmao, yes! Natsu has that nice long, "one-year training" hair! I did mention it a couple of times throughout the story, in my defense XD Remember in the beginning when Yukino was helping pick out all the tangles from his hair, and he mentioned that it was getting long because he refused to let her cut it? And maybe once or twice, I don't recall specifics XD Stay frosty~!

 **Tohka123** , XD Thank you! I do try to throw the title in there every once in a while, when I can get away with it! And I'm glad you liked the smut part. I remember writing that scene... it actually started off with the part about the candle and the flame. Then I had to fill in the scene around it XD Sometimes, I get random inspiration. Also, I indeed enjoy a good cliffhanger, as I'm sure any follower of mine has noticed XD It's cruel, really, but oh so fun~~

 **MorriganFae** , Lol, Morrigan, you're adorable XD I'm glad the sexiness was sufficient. I enjoyed this one as well, it was fun to write. As I mentioned to Tohka, inspiration for that came from a single line, "My skin was a flame, and he was the candle..." and the small bit around that lol. So, I had to fill in a bit to make that scene work, but thankfully it came out alright and everyone seemed to enjoy it, so BONUS! Concerning your inquiries... those will be addressed shortly, no worries!

 **Juliastes** , TECHNICALLY, Lucy need only answer to herself, HOWEVER... It's much more complicated than that. I don't want to say it's a political issue, because that takes the sexiness out of it lol, but... it kind of is. She is, in theory, the boss over all of Fairy Tail coven, but that doesn't give her free reign. She has mentioned before that being Queen actually gives her MORE rules than anyone else. The laws fall most heavily upon her. I need to write up something that specifically targets that issue for you guys. I do have a chapter that somewhat focuses on that, but not too much on the technicalities. Don't worry, I'll get to that too!

 **turtle3334** , Thank you so much! I do the same thing when I find something I think may be interesting, I let it sit in my followed stories until I finally give it a chance haha. So no judgements here! I'm happy you decided to give it a shot, though, and that you really like it! Complimenting my plot, ah, that really feels good to an author. I thank you kindly. I put a lot of thought into this plot. It's not perfect, but I've tried my best not to leave too many holes. Thank you for your support and I hope to see you around!

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	23. Chapter 22: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Twenty-Two: Lucy**

 _One Week Later_ …

I was in my bathroom, brushing my hair into a simple half side ponytail to keep the strands out of my face. I had another council meeting this morning, one I had actually been informed about beforehand, so I had some time to prepare rather than just running over there like I normally would.

I wasn't sure exactly what this meeting would entail, but I knew it was of some importance, seeing as all the Council members—even the fill-in members who normally didn't attend meetings—were invited to join. I was a little apprehensive that they might know something about me and Natsu, but I was somewhat reassured by the fact that they probably wouldn't schedule a meeting for something like that, they would just have me beheaded. That wasted a lot less time.

"Whatcha doin, Luce?"

I glanced over from where I was putting some eyeshadow on to see Natsu strolling into the bathroom, looking extra sexy with his chest exposed and jeans that hung low on his hips.

"Getting ready for a meeting," I replied shortly, turning back to the mirror to finish applying my make up.

"Let's take a break," he suggested, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me. His lips dropped onto my neck and pressed against the skin there, momentarily distracting me. He had a way of doing that to me. It was almost too easy the way he was able to distract me with just his lips.

I elbowed him in the gut before I could get lost in the feel of those lips on my skin, and his hands which had begun to dip low on my stomach.

"I can't play with you today, Natsu," I told him, then resumed what I had been doing.

"Meanie." He stuck his tongue out at me in the mirror.

I rolled my eyes and ignored that comment, added a bit of mascara, then leaned back to survey the finished results.

"Hot. As. Fuck," he murmured, voice a low growl.

I turned a surprised gaze his way, noting the way his eyes burned into mine like a flame. I gasped at the look in them, that same look he gave me on occasion that felt like it went straight through to my soul.

I turned away from that look and walked out of the bathroom to find some shoes. He followed me out not a moment later but I stopped him with a glare. He held up his hands and gave a sheepish grin. I couldn't stop my answering smile. He was just too adorable.

"I'm serious, Natsu," I told him, pointing a stern finger at him, but the huge grin on my face did little to add to the gesture. "I have a meeting to get to."

"I know," he replied, leering down at me as he stepped toward me. "That doesn't mean we can't have fun in the meantime…"

I didn't have a chance to make a break for it, because with a speed that nearly rivaled that of a vampire's he had me in his arms, his hot lips pressed against mine. I brought my hands up to his face and held it gently, allowing this one moment between us.

After a long moment, he pulled back and wrapped me up in a hug. "I'm going to miss you," he whispered into my hair.

I snorted. "I'm not going out of town, I'll only be gone a few hours."

Actually, I would probably be gone longer than that. I had to make a stop at the feeders after the council meeting. I didn't have time to go every day as some vampires did, but I made do with two or three times a week, enough to sustain me and keep me alive. I was going on a week already, and had been experiencing the disorientation and fatigue that came from lack of blood. If I didn't get some soon, I would start to deteriorate from the inside out until I fell ill and, eventually, died.

"I don't care," Natsu said, squeezing me tight. "Any amount time without you is too long."

I laughed. "You're a dork."

"You're a weirdo!" he shot back.

I rolled my eyes and shoved out of his hold. "Let me go or I'll be late."

His lip jutted out in a comical pout, but I ignored him and turned back to the closet, disappearing inside in search of shoes. I wore a simple knee-length black dress, so I slipped on a pair of black stilettos with straps that wrapped around my calves.

"Did I mention you're hot as fuck?" Natsu asked when I stepped back into the bedroom.

We had moved the mattress back onto my bed a few days ago but still shared it—it was just more comfortable that way. This was where Natsu now occupied, laid out with his hands behind his head, looking perfectly at ease as he grinned over at me.

"You might have mentioned it," I replied dryly. "I have to go now, I'll be back in a while."

"Wait."

He jumped from the bed and came over to me, enveloping me in another embrace.

I sighed. "Natsu, you're being dramatic," but I didn't push him away as he held me. Instead, I wrapped my arms around his back and rested my head against his chest. His heart beat rapidly against my ear. I frowned. "What's wrong, Natsu?"

"I have a bad feeling," he murmured. His body gave an involuntary shudder. "Don't go to this meeting, Lucy. Please."

"You know I have to go, Natsu," I said. "What's going on? What do you mean you have a bad feeling? What about?"

"I don't know," he whispered, "just a feeling."

I pulled back and cupped his face in my hands. "Nothing is going to happen, to either of us. I promise you, Natsu, I won't ever let anything happen to you. I love you."

"Don't go…," he repeated, eyes shimmering, pulse quickening.

"Natsu, you never act like this when I leave," I noted. "Did something happen that I don't know about?"

He shook his head. "Nothing like that. But Lucy, this feeling… it burns. I don't understand what it means, but it hurts."

"Shh." I brought his face down to mine and whispered against his lips. "Don't worry so much. I promise I will figure this out when I come back. I'll hurry."

I pressed my lips against his, but only for a moment, then I pulled back and let him go. It killed me to leave him there in that state, expression pained, body screaming at me to stay with him, but I couldn't. If I didn't answer this summons, someone would come looking for me and they wouldn't be happy with me, especially when they found a human in my bedchamber.

 _I'll be back, Natsu,_ I thought as I hurried through the halls. It looked like I wouldn't be getting blood today, either, but Natsu's behavior had me worried, and his wellbeing was more important than my own. I wouldn't die yet, I could survive another day without blood.

Right after I thought that, a wave of vertigo hit me and knocked me to my knees. I gagged as dizziness sent my stomach rolling.

 _Maybe I'm worse off than I thought._

Still, I didn't have time to go hunt down a feeder. I would just have to push through it.

I waited for the dizzy spell to pass, grateful that no one was around to offer their concern, then continued on my way, pausing only when a dizzy spell hit—which happened twice more on the way, much to my concern.

 _First Natsu has some weird feeling, then this happens._

I hoped it was that simple and that his bad feeling wasn't because of something worse.

"Hi, Lucy!" Wendy waved animatedly as I approached the Council chambers. "Oh! I mean Queen Lucy!" She gave a quick bow.

I chuckled. "Wendy, you know you don't have to do that." I pulled her into a hug when she straightened.

It had been several days since I'd seen her last and I missed having her around. She occasionally hung out with me and Natsu, but I think she tried to keep her distance when it was just us.

"Do you think you can do me a favor and go by my room?" I asked, voice pitched low. I gave her a pointed look so she would know of my intentions.

Her mouth formed an 'O' and she nodded emphatically. "I will!"

"Thank you," I whispered, kissing the top of her head, then pushed through the doors into the Council room.

"Ah, welcome, Your Majesty." Makarov acknowledged as I entered. I nodded in return and took my seat across the table from him. It looked like everyone had showed up, which was either really good or really bad.

Erza and Jellal still sat to my right, with Alzack and Bisca beside them, as they filled in when the former couple was unable to be present.

Laxus and Lilliana sat to my left, followed by Erik and Kinana, then Makarov at the end. Mira had also joined in on this meeting, squishing in beside Makarov.

"I guess we're all here," I noted dryly, pushing my tiara back onto my head when it started to slip. Why was I always the last to arrive? Did they purposely give me a later time so that they could all be here before me? Or was I just that late?

"Shall we begin?" Makarov asked me, arching an eyebrow.

I gestured for him to start the meeting, seeing as I had _no freaking clue_ why we were even here. Apparently being the Queen of this coven didn't entitle me to information about said coven. The thought made me scowl.

"There are a few important topics we need to discuss today," he began, pulling out a folder from under his seat and sliding it across the table at me. "This being of top priority."

I caught the folder with a hand and frowned as I opened it. Inside, a stack of photographs sat. I kept my face neutral, even as I felt my blood run cold at the images as I flipped through them.

"What does this mean?" I asked, closing the folder so I wouldn't have to look at the pictures anymore.

"It means the other covens have been breaking the law," Makarov told me, expression stern.

"And the VEC isn't doing anything about it?" I asked.

"We think the Elite Council might be in on it," Mira answered me gravely.

I sighed heavily and opened the folder again, examining the images more closely. The first showed Sabertooth's Queen, Minerva, skirting the edges of Fairy Tail's territory. That wasn't the most disturbing part, however. The image showed her holding a severed head in one hand, her free hand dripping with blood.

I flipped to the second image, which showed a man I didn't know by name but recognized as one of Minerva's rats by the insignia he wore on his bare chest. He had a bloodthirsty look in his eyes that could easily be seen even from a still-image. He was crouched low on the ground, but it wasn't immediately obvious what he was doing.

At least, not until I got a closer look.

A headless man lay in the grass at his feet. The Sabertooth man had a hand lodged in the dead guy's chest.

"I can't look at these." I shut the folder once more and closed my eyes. "This is disgusting."

"It is," Makarov agreed solemnly. "Which is why _we_ need to do something about it. Before this escalates into anything more gruesome."

"We need to act now before this situation gets worse," Bisca added. Alzack nodded in agreement.

"How can this possibly get any worse?" I snapped. The effects of so little blood consumption was making me especially irate.

"Look at the last picture…" Mira urged. Her expression was that of someone who had just seen something particularly horrifying.

I didn't want to know whatever had put that expression onto her face, but I lifted the folder open once more and pulled out the last picture inside. My whole body went numb at the image, everything in the room silenced as my gaze zeroed in on it.

Minerva stood just at the edge of our coven border again, not quite crossing the line but almost. Someone else, however, clearly stood on our side of the border: my father. Minerva held him over the border, dangling him on our side by his neck. Her expression was malicious, while my father looked terrified.

"What is the meaning of this?" I demanded, turning on Erza.

She blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"You came by my bedchamber a couple of weeks ago and told me you saw my father skulking about, then this shows up on our camera feeds?!" I exclaimed, then slammed a fist onto the table. "You had better tell me how all of this shit happened right under our noses. How the hell did no one see any of this happening? Where are the guards that are supposed to be watching the CCTV feeds twenty-four/seven?"

"It wasn't her fault, Your Highness," Alzack said in Erza's defense.

"These images didn't come from our servers, Lucy," Mira added. I turned to her with a look of disbelief. "They were sent to us via a vigilante scout—from Sabertooth."

I gasped, unable to hide my shock at the news. " _What_?" My voice was barely audible.

"None of this showed up on our feeds," Erza told me. "We went back and looked over them a dozen times and found nothing."

"We think someone from Sabertooth must have disabled our cameras," Jellal explained before I could ask. "We can't be certain, but it seems like they have… advanced vampires in their ranks. Or they're working with another coven who does."

"Advanced vampire?" I repeated. _Exceptionals…_

"Yes…" Erza said slowly. "Someone like Erik and… Wendy."

I froze at the mention of the blue-haired child vampire.

 _No. That isn't possible. Wendy is a special case!_

"We don't know for certain," Jellal reiterated quickly. "It's just a theory."

"I've been hearing some weird shit from the other covens," Erik spoke up. I turned to him, but his face was a mask, showing no emotion. Beside him, Kinana looked close to tears. "I can't get a good read on them, but there has been a lot of moving around across the border."

"Sabertooth?" I guessed.

Erik nodded.

"Have you heard anything else?" I prompted.

He shrugged. "Nothing that would be of use. It's hard to pick up voices underground; it's easier when we go to the surface."

"The Day of Rest is coming up here shortly," I noted, closing my eyes to think.

"Should we act then?" Erza asked.

"I may be able to hear more about what they're planning if I go above," Erik offered in a rare show of helpfulness.

"I fear that war may be coming…," I murmured, and heard several members gasp in surprise.

"Are you certain?" Mira asked.

I shook my head, eyes still pinched shut. "No. It's just a theory. When I was at the VEC meeting Minerva threatened me—tried to overtake me."

"And you didn't feel the need to share that little piece of information with the group, Blondie?" Laxus asked, in a tone that clearly said he thought I was foolish for not bringing it up until now. Maybe I was, but it had slipped my mind with all the other stuff that had been going on. Besides, it wasn't like it was a secret that Minerva and I didn't get along.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I didn't feel that the information was pertinent until now," I stated haughtily, having no patience for Laxus today, or any day for that matter.

"What do we do, Your Highness?" Kinana asked, tears dripping from her eyes as she looked over at me. The terror was evident in her gaze, and I felt terrible that I couldn't do anything to ease her worries.

"We lay low for now," I decided. "We can't actively go searching for Sabertooth members, at least not right now. However… we _should_ ready a team in case of attack. We can't be too careful when dealing with those tigers."

"How many soldiers should we make available to you, Highness?" Jellal asked.

I thought about that for a moment, doing a mental tally of who we had.

"Get everyone ready," I decided at last. "We need all the numbers we can get. If Sabertooth decides to attack, we need to be prepared."

"Our people will be ready," Jellal promised, already scribbling something in a notepad.

"Erik…" I began hesitantly, turning to the red-haired vampire.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll help you, Queeny." Erik said before I could finish my thought. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it."

"And you'll make sure _he_ behaves?" I pressed.

"They all will. You can trust us." His eyes shone with sincerity.

I nodded. "Very well. Let's get this started immediately, we have no time to waste."

"There is one more matter we need to discuss with you," Makarov began slowly.

"What?" I snapped, not meaning for the words to come out harsh, but I was anxious about this turn of events, and anxious to get back to Natsu.

Makarov gave a small smile. "Your three-year anniversary as coven Queen is coming up."

I just stared.

"It might be fun," Jellal agreed thoughtfully.

I gaped at him.

"A party is always enjoyable," Erza stated seriously.

"Seriously?" I deadpanned. "That has to be the least important thing we have going on right now."

 _My coven is insane. No wonder we have twelve counts on our record right now._

"It's tradition!" Mira declared with a grin.

I rolled my eyes dramatically. "Are you _kidding_ me? There's no way in hell we're doing that when Sabertooth is out there planning an attack on us!"

"That's why we need the distraction!" Mira argued back. "Our people are going to be afraid when we start asking them to fight for us. They deserve a little distraction from everything."

"That is the most ridiculous logic I've ever heard…" I groaned. _Mirajane…_ What was I going to do with her? "Fine, whatever, but it better not be some huge party like you did for my birthday," I warned.

Her mischievous grin told me that was exactly what she had planned.

* * *

 **A/N** : Hello all! So, a very good friend of mine both IRL and on FF has created a scene in the TOF world! It's a really fantastic scene that I'm sure you will all love, especially since it's extra STEAMY *wink* so do me a favor and go check out her one-shot for me! There's a link to it on my profile page; it's called " _Mint, Chocolate, and Strawberry_ " and the user is " _yellowchikadee_." Really, she's a fantastic writer all around, and she did a wonderful job taking the world of TOF and creating something beautiful. So go give that a read and leave her a review letting her know what you think and that I sent you her way! I told her you guys would be awesome enough to go check it out, so don't let me down! XD

 **An Amber Pen** , Time will tell! Or not XD

 **sassykitten1701** , My specialty~! Sorry!

 **Tohka123** , Happy may possibly make a return! Keep reading to find out!

 **MorriganFae** , Hahaha, um... Okay, so it's not that nobody cares about the law, because they DO, but it's more complex than that. VEC related, they care about all laws probably 95% of the time, excluding the Day of Rest when they, essentially, take a day of rest from vampire duties and let the covens duke it out if they should so desire. If we're talking solely about Fairy Tail coven... Well, things get iffy there. They DO follow the laws that both the VEC and their coven has put into place for them, BUT this is Fairy Tail so laws are obviously broken from time to time, or simply ignored. So... yeah lol. Things can't be that easy anyway, where's the fun in that? XD

 **ThayetJade** , Yes... this would be a good time to figure out how to do that if Lucy weren't so damn stubborn!

 **Forever Nalu** , Aw, thanks! I really love the two POV's too! It gives me a lot more to explore, and allows you readers an extra glimpse into different scenes that may be happening simultaneously, as well as differing emotions and thoughts, which can be interesting. Oh, and that cliffhanger will be significant, so keep that in mind XD.

 **Igneel777** , Thank you so much! I appreciate that! I really try to make every little detail seem as realistic as possible. I don't want it to feel forced or fake, I want it to flow naturally. I like switching POV's also, it gives you so much more to the story! Arguably, one could do this easily in third-person, but I liked it this way for TOF specifically. It wouldn't have the same feel in third-person. Anyway! Thanks for your review, it made me super happy!

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	24. Chapter 23: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Twenty-Three: Natsu**

I watched the door close behind her, then fell to my knees as the burning sensation began to flow through my body, making my blood feel like acid as it raced through my veins. I groaned in pain and buried my face in my knees, unable to take the intensity of it.

 _What is wrong with me?_ I wondered. My body was on fire. I was going to die, surely.

"Lu-cy…" I choked out pitifully before my vision grew dark and I fell to my side as the blackness closed over me.

…

" _Natsu, my son, listen closely. You see that town over there?"_

 _Igneel gestured at a sprawling town that is just visible in the distance from the edge of the mountain top we sit on. If I squint just so, I can make out huts with wooden roofs, rather than the straw roof Igneel and I have._

" _Yeah, they have funny looking huts," I say, wrinkling my nose._

 _Igneel chuckles softly. "Those are not huts, son, those are called houses; homes."_

" _Why are they made of wood?" I wonder, frowning at the funny huts._

" _That is how homes are made," Igneel explains patiently. "But that isn't what I was referring to. That town right there is called Magnolia."_

" _Magnolia?" I repeat._

" _Yes, Natsu. One day, when you're stronger, you must go to this town."_

" _What? Why would I do something that dumb?" I exclaimed, turning to him with a look of disbelief. "You always say never to go near the towns, that they're filled with bad things!"_

" _That's true," he agreed. "That's why you must wait until you're much older; and much stronger. You have much potential to unlock within yourself, Natsu."_

" _What does that even mean?" I grumble, folding my arms across my chest._

" _You'll see when you're older, son." Igneel pulls me against his side. "For now, you needn't concern yourself. But remember this place, Natsu, and remember that you must return to it. Don't forget…"_

…

 _I sit on the edge of a mountain, overlooking the town of Magnolia. In the three years it's been since I have been to this place, the town has grown into a city, with twinkling lights illuminating every inch of the town. The houses have since become larger, and more buildings have popped up as well, made of either wood or stone materials._

 _I watch with a careful eye, scanning the area and just watching the people from above. They look like tiny ants from here, but I can just make them out as they bustle about the town square. I have the urge to go down there, but I don't know what I would do once I made it. Igneel made me promise to return here, asked me again and again before he disappeared over a year ago, but this is the first time I have come back on my own._

 _The memories I have of the times I spent here with my father flood through my mind as I stare, making my eyes burn with tears that won't fall. I don't know how long I sit there, unmoving and unblinking until I finally heave a sigh and push to my feet, turning my back on Magnolia and all its citizens._

Why the hell do I have to help _them? I wonder in annoyance as I stalk back to my hut, a six-hour trip from where I currently am._ They look much better off than I am. They aren't the ones who need saving.

 _I don't understand what my father had been asking of me. What could I, a lone boy of fourteen, do for an entire town?_

…

 _It's the two year anniversary of the day Igneel disappeared. I crouch in a tree, staring through the trees in the direction I last saw him leave. Images flash through my mind of the day he left. The way his face lit up as he grinned over at me, waving and promising to return in two days time._

"Will you be coming back?" I asked, as I always did.

"I will always return to you, Natsu," he promised, as he always did.

 _But that was the day he broke that promise. He never came back, and two years later I'm still waiting for his return, still hoping that maybe he would just walk through those trees with that shit eating grin and tell me stories of how he got lost or kidnapped and had spent this entire time trying to get back to me._

 _It is an empty hope, though, as I know, deep down, that I'll never see the man who raised me ever again._

 _I growl in frustration and punch the tree in front of me._

" _Igneel, you bastard!" I yell into the forest. No sounds come back to me in return._

 _I growl again, then jump from the tree, landing painfully on my feet, but I don't acknowledge the pain just then. I stalk back to my hut, hands balled into fists at my side. The anger I feel is like a wave of heat, flooding through my veins and making my blood boil and my skin burn._

" _He's such a selfish bastard!" I yell again, kicking open the door and ignoring it when it flies off the hinges—I'll deal with that later. "I would never break a promise to someone I love! Never!"_

Little did I know, I would do the same thing a few months later, to a little blue feline.

…

"Natsu! Wake up!"

I jerked awake at the shaking, blinking my eyes open to see a familiar face hovering over mine.

"Wendy," I said, my voice hoarse.

"Natsu, what's wrong with you? You were burning up!" she exclaimed.

" _Were_?" I asked, dazedly.

Wendy helped me to sit up but avoided my gaze when I tried to look into her eyes. "Uh, yeah. You're okay now, I think…"

I frowned at the false note in her voice. "What are you doing here?" I asked, deciding not to push her on it.

"Oh, Lucy asked me to come check on you," she explained. "I'm sorry I took so long! I had no idea you were in such a terrible state!"

"Don't worry about it," I gave her a reassuring smile. "You said it yourself, I'm fine now!"

She gave a small smile in return. "Yeah, you are."

I leaned back against the side of the bed as Wendy sat cross-legged in front of me, her blue hair held back by some green piece of fabric that matched the shirt she wore. She also wore jean shorts and sandals, giving her a casual air. She was still so young… even after all the time that had passed since I'd seen her last. She didn't look like she had aged more than a year, which seemed impossible considering young kids usually grew faster than adults, I thought. Igneel always told me I was growing up too fast.

"Wendy, how do vampires age?" I asked.

Her eyes lit up with something, though it wasn't exactly clear what right away. "That is a very good question!" she praised me. I resisted the urge to scowl as I waited for her to continue. "We do age, obviously, but it differs with vampires who were born, and those who were changed, like me.

"Vampires who were _born_ , like Lucy and most others in Fairy Tail, age about the same way as humans do, but just a tad slower. They age about a year per every two human years."

"That's… weird," I commented, frowning as I tried to wrap my mind around this new information.

"I thought so too at first," she agreed, "but it makes more sense the more time you spend here. It isn't obvious so much with the older vampires, but with children, it's very apparent."

"Is that why you still look ten-years-old?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. Fortunately, she didn't appear offended.

"No…" she began slowly. "The way I age is different from even those who were turned. There's… something wrong with me," she whispered. She avoided my eyes as if embarrassed about the fact.

"Wendy, I find it hard to believe that there is anything wrong with _you,_ " I told her. She glanced up at me with tear-filled eyes. "Is there actually anything 'normal' about vampirism anyway?"

She gave a small smile. "I guess not. Not really." She blinked the tears free. "Anyway, I haven't technically aged since I was turned, but that's not exactly normal, though there have been accounts of this happening on occasion."

"See? There's nothing wrong with you." I grinned.

She smiled back, but it was a sad sort of smile. "Maybe."

I got the feeling there was more to this girl than it seemed, but it didn't feel like my place to push her for personal information.

"So, what happens to those were turned?"

"Well," she began, turning thoughtful, "vampires who were _turned_ age twice as slow as those who were born. In other words—"

"For every four years a human ages, a turned vampire only ages one year," I finished.

She nodded. "Exactly."

"Except with you?" I guessed.

She shrugged. "We aren't sure… I've only been a vampire for less than three years, but my body isn't making any of the normal changes that turned vampires do, and factoring in my age, I should still be exhibiting _some_ changes, but so far… nothing."

"Is that a bad thing?" I wondered.

"Not necessarily," she admitted. "All vampires eventually stop aging."

"Really?" I frowned, remembering the old geezer I'd seen at Sabertooth once.

"Well, not _all_ ," she corrected. "Vampires stop aging when they make a Claim and proceed into the mating rituals."

I arched an eyebrow at her. "...Should you know about mating?"

She giggled. "It's not _that_ kind of mating! It's basically a marriage ceremony, then, you know… _that._ "

I swear she blushed a little beneath that ghostly pallor.

I thought about that for a moment, thought about Lucy and how we had slept together twice now. Did that mean Lucy would no longer age? Or did that only work between vampires? Or maybe sex wasn't the key at all.

I glanced over at the little girl, who was staring off at the wall to her right with a blank expression. I followed her gaze to where the door leading to my old room sat ajar. There were books piled up in the corner and a few blankets and other random items, along with the shackles Lucy had crushed from my wrists the first time we slept together.

I wondered what she saw when she looked in there, what her thoughts were as she took in the assortment of items.

"Do you know what Lucy's meeting is about?" I asked to pull her attention away from the room.

She looked back at me with a frown. "No, I wasn't told what it was about, only that Lucy needed to be there by nine. But it sounded serious."

"A bad kind of serious?" I murmured, recalling the bad feeling I'd felt just before Lucy left.

Wendy shook her head. "I don't know."

She suddenly went rigid, eyes closing briefly, ear turning toward the door. I held my breath in anticipation, recognizing the look: she'd heard something.

A moment later she sighed in relief. "It's just Lucy," she whispered.

I watched the door, straining my ears until I could make out the familiar sounds of her heels clicking against the floor as she neared the door. When it opened, she gave a momentary start of surprise when she saw me sitting there in plain sight. Usually, I stayed in the other room while she was gone, in case anyone else came around. After a moment, her expression softened into a smile.

"Honey, you're home!" I declared, stretching my arms out to my sides and grinning widely at her.

She rolled her eyes and walked over to peck my lips before slipping her shoes off and tossing them into the closet. She joined Wendy and I on the floor, sitting right against me. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"I missed you," I murmured in her ear.

She giggled. "I missed you, too. How are you feeling? I was worried about you."

"Is that why you sent Wendy here to babysit me?" I teased.

"H-Hey!" Wendy exclaimed in offense. "I was just hanging out!"

"You were acting strange, Natsu," Lucy said, brows furrowed as she looked up at me. "I was worried about you being here alone."

"I was fine," I assured her, deciding not to tell her how Wendy had found me passed out, and hoped the little squirt wouldn't mention anything. A quick glance in her direction showed an indifferent expression, which was a relief. "Just a bad feeling, I guess."

"Well, you may have been onto something after all," Lucy muttered unhappily. She then proceeded to fill us in on what had happened during her council meeting.

"So, Sabertooth is out to get us all?" Wendy asked anxiously.

"Don't worry, Wendy," Lucy sent her a reassuring smile, "nothing bad will happen to us. Fairy Tail is strong; we always prevail."

She nodded, but still looked fearful.

"You're welcome to stay with us if you like," Lucy offered.

"I'll protect you from those assholes!" I added, flexing my muscles at her.

Wendy giggled, shaking her head. "No, it's okay. I've been staying with Erza. I think I'll be okay."

"Okay, Wendy, but my door is always open to you," Lucy told her.

"I know." Wendy grinned, then stood up to leave. "I love you both," she whispered, then slipped through the door, leaving Lucy and me alone.

"She's such a sweet kid," Lucy noted fondly.

"She is," I agreed.

Lucy leaned her head back against the mattress, heaving a deep sigh.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" I murmured, tracing a finger down the side of her face.

"I'm just thinking about this ridiculous party I have to attend tomorrow."

I snorted. "Oh yeah, your big anniversary."

Lucy scowled. "I don't want to go. It's not even about me, it's just another stupid excuse to party. They probably wouldn't even notice if I didn't show up."

"So bail," I suggested, tracing the frown line between her eyebrows, which was adorable.

She arched an eyebrow at me. "Bail?" she asked flatly.

"Sure," I shrugged, finger trailing down to her lips now. "Skip it and stay here with me instead…"

I expect a quick chastisement in reply to my suggestion, but she stayed quiet for a long moment. So long, in fact, that I grew tired of staring at her delicious lips, and leaned in to capture them with my own.

"Wait," she sat up just as I was about to kiss her. I pouted but waited for her to continue, which was hard to do seeing as her face was literally inches away, maybe less. "I have an idea," she said, face slipping into a grin.

I narrowed my eyes, now suspicious. "What kind of idea?"

"The kind that will get us into trouble." She grinned wider. "We're getting the hell out of here."

* * *

 **A/N** : Let's see how many of you can guess what Lucy is up to next. Tell me your thoughts! What do YOU think is going to happen next week? Think outside the box, because it's probably not what you're thinking right now...

 **Neko Lucy-Chan** , Do not worry, that was not overlooked by me XD But good eye! Keep that in mind...

 **sassykitten1701** , My lips are sealed~!

 **Guest** , No prego lol, but good guess! Just lack of blood, etc.

 **Forever Nalu** , I'm all for plot twists too, so that wasn't a bad guess lol. Fortunately, Wendy is much too sweet to be a traitor! But you're spot on about the VEC. Bunch of lazy assholes... That's what happens when men are in power, I guess... We'll just blame it on that lol.

 **turtle3334** , Anytime~! I'm always happy to answer any questions!

 **ThayetJade** , The Day of Rest is once a month! The VEC meetings that Lucy attended are twice a year. Does that clear things up?

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	25. Chapter 24: Lucy

**Songspiration: _Stolen Car_ by Chris Lane.**

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Twenty-Four: Lucy**

"You're kidding me, right?" he deadpanned, eyeing me with a look that suggested I could be slightly insane. Maybe I was.

I grinned. "Come on, Natsu. You're not afraid, are you?" I teased, raising an eyebrow in challenge. It only took a moment for him to answer my grin with one of his own.

"Hell no, but if we get caught—"

I silenced him with my lips, pulling him toward me with a hand gripped in his shirt. I felt him shudder as our lips met, which made me want to make the moment linger, but I pulled away after I had successfully distracted him.

"Don't do anything stupid, and we won't get caught," I told him.

"You're the boss," he said, voice low and sexy. I raised an eyebrow but made no further comments, instead grasping his hand and pulling him along with me.

It was the night of my anniversary party, and Natsu and I stood at the bottom of the secret passage used to get to the surface when we didn't use the normal trap door entrance. This one brought us closer to town, which was exactly what I wanted.

It had taken some convincing to get Natsu to follow me—he hadn't wanted to leave my room after being safely tucked away in there for nearly two months now—but eventually I'd persuaded him into coming with me.

Only, now that freedom was right over our heads, Natsu began to feel wary once again. His expression radiated unease as he stared at the door that would lead out to the surface. I watched him as he stood there, frozen with something like terror. I gripped his hand in mine and gave him a reassuring smile.

"It will be fine, no one else should be out tonight; not this close to town."

" _Should_ ," he muttered.

"It's time to fly the nest, Natsu," I joked, but he didn't laugh. He gave a heavy sigh. "You act like getting out of here is a bad thing," I noted.

"Maybe it is," he replied. "I have a bad feeling you're just trying to take me above ground to get rid of me."

My whole body went rigid at the insinuation. That was exactly what I had been planning to do. Since we were so close to town and tonight was safe enough to get him through the coven undetected, I knew I could bring him into the nearby town safely and then leave him there.

I couldn't take it anymore; I couldn't keep risking his life by keeping him here. I had to get him out, had been planning to for a while now, this just so happened to be the first opportunity I had.

And I wasn't wasting it.

"That's not what I'm doing," I lied.

"Liar," he accused, casting a glare down on me. I sucked in a sharp breath. "I'm not an idiot, you know. I know you're going to ditch me up there. I'd just hoped I was wrong."

"N-Natsu, that's not—"

"Stop lying to me, Lucy!" he shouted. The sound and his accusatory expression made me cringe. "I deserve to know the truth."

I looked away, biting my lip in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I can't keep you here. Not anymore."

"I'm not leaving," he stubbornly declared.

 _Of course, this wouldn't be as easy as simply leading him outside. He isn't as naïve as he seems…_

I gave a heavy sigh. "Fine. That's your choice. But _I'm_ leaving."

I turned my back on him and began making my way up the ladder, aware of the fact that my short dress was giving him a clear view under my skirt.

"H-Hey! Are you seriously going to leave me down here?" he asked in disbelief.

"If you won't come with me, then yes, I will." I continued up the ladder until I reached the door at the top then began unlatching the various locks there.

He growled in annoyance then began following me up the ladder.

I hid a smile as the last lock slid free, then pushed the steel door out into the open air.

"Ah," I breathed in as the fresh air wafted in around us. It was a cool night, making the air feel crisp and clean.

I helped Natsu out of the hole when he reached the top, then pushed the door closed.

"Wow," Natsu murmured, looking up at the clear night sky dotted with stars.

"I know," I agreed, smiling over at him. "It's nice out here."

"Please don't leave me, Luce," he whispered, looking over at me.

I gasped, taking in his pleading tone and pained expression.

"I can't live without you," he added, almost silently. "I love you, Lucy."

I released a long breath. "I know. I can't live without you either, but Natsu, this may be your only chance at escape. I don't know when I'll be able to sneak you out again—if ever. If the coven finds out that I've left, there's going to be hell to pay."

Queens generally did not leave the coven walls except to attend the VEC meetings. The Day of Rest, when I'd first found Natsu, had been the first time I'd been above ground since my crowning. Even before that, as Princess and heir to the throne, I hadn't been allowed on the surface but for a handful of times.

"I'm not leaving without you, Luce," he said adamantly. His eyes were determined as he held my gaze.

After a long moment I couldn't take it anymore and looked away, over toward the town that lay two miles out. Right now we were just on the edge of the forest where Fairy Tail coven territory began, but as soon as we cleared the treeline we would be free of the coven boundaries. Unfortunately, that also meant anyone could attack us without retribution.

"Okay," I agreed at last. "Let's go."

I stood to my feet and began making my way in the direction of the town, which shone brightly with all the lights from the nearby buildings.

He scrambled to his feet and jogged over to me. "Wait, where are we going?"

I grinned over my shoulder. "We're going to have our own party."

"Why don't I like the sound of that?" he asked suspiciously.

I snorted, ignoring him as we jogged across the field which led to the town.

"You're not still planning to ditch me, are you?" he called after me.

"No, idiot." I rolled my eyes. "Come on."

We picked up the pace until we reached the edge of town. It wasn't easy running in heels but I managed it while trying to stay slow enough that Natsu could easily keep up.

At the edge of town we slowed but still walked forward with purpose. Natsu looked apprehensive and two seconds away from bolting. It was amusing to me, to see him so out of place among his own kind.

"Are you afraid of humans now?" I teased.

"Yes," he replied seriously.

I blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"Humans are strangers to me," he muttered, expression hard.

"That's sad," I said. "Come on, let's have some fun. I won't let the scary humans eat you." I winked, but he raised an eyebrow, clearly not amused.

I led him through the town expertly, weaving through the crowds of people with a clear destination in mind. I kept a hand wrapped around his and he kept a death grip on mine in return, eyes darting around anxiously.

"Where are we going?" he shouted over the roar of all the pedestrians.

"Dancing!" I declared, sending him another wink.

"Seriously?" he deadpanned.

"Why not?" I shrugged. "We can do whatever we want tonight."

A smile slowly pulled at the edges of his lips. "Alright."

We turned a corner and came to a building with purple and blue lights shining down from the roof. I led Natsu around to the back where a long line of people were already waiting to get in. I ignored the line that wrapped around the entire nightclub, walking straight up to the bouncer at the front like I owned the place.

As soon as I made eye contact with him his expression slackened, eyes glazing over as they locked on mine.

"Let us in," I said, not unkindly. "Please."

"Of course."

He pulled the rope back to allow us entrance, much to the annoyance of those waiting in line. I turned and blew a few of them a kiss on my way by, just to be obnoxious.

"That was mean!" Natsu said when we were inside, having to shout over the booming music that pumped from the speakers spaced throughout the room.

I turned and winked, unconcerned in the slightest. I hadn't had this much fun in a long time, but Natsu brought out the carefree side of me, and I loved that about him.

"Come on!" I shouted, gesturing toward the bar.

Several people already sat at the long, smooth wood counter, but I sidled up alongside them and immediately set my sights on the handsome bartender currently serving drinks.

I gave him a seductive smile, which he raised an eyebrow at before making his way over to me.

"What'll you have, beautiful?" he asked, putting on an expression that screamed 'lady killer'. I wasn't impressed. He was attractive, but he had nothing on Natsu.

Still, I put on my best flirtatious smile, knowing that amped up my compulsion with these kinds of guys.

"Pink Pussy," I said, straight-faced, and had the satisfaction of hearing Natsu choke on a laugh beside me while the ginger-haired bartender merely raised a curious eyebrow.

"Wanna make that a double?" he asked. "Because you're twice as beautiful." He winked. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the lame flirt.

"Sure," I purred, narrowing my eyes seductively at him. I swear he looked about ready to drool.

"Give me a whiskey, dry." Natsu spoke up, wrapping a possessive arm around me and giving the other guy a challenging glare. I raised an eyebrow at that.

 _Damn, that's sexy,_ I thought.

"Yeah, sure." The guy's smile faltered slightly as he turned to start our drinks.

I snorted a laugh and pulled myself onto a barstool to wait.

"I didn't know you could do that," he muttered.

"Do what?" I asked innocently.

He gestured at the bartender. "That."

"Order a drink?" I batted my eyes at him.

He didn't look amused. "Order people around like that."

I sighed. "It's called 'compulsion'. It's not something that is widely known, as it only works on humans and only some vampires can even do it successfully."

"Queens?" he guessed.

I shrugged. "Mostly, yes. Our power far exceeds those below us, but there are some others who can use it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

I sighed. "Because… I didn't want you to think that I'd used it on you to make you want to stay with me."

His eyes widened. "Luce… the feelings I have for you are real, I feel them deep inside my _soul_. I know without a doubt that you have never used any sort of compilation—"

"Compulsion."

"—on me because I know how I feel," he finished. "I love you, Lucy, and I don't care if you're a vampire with freaky powers or not."

I snorted. "Come here," I ordered Natsu, holding my arms out.

He arched an eyebrow but obeyed, stepping into my arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him closer as I slid my hands into his hair, tugging gently on the long strands and pulling his face close to mine. I brushed my lips against his, but didn't press against them, not yet.

Natsu let out a long sigh and shuddered in my hold, lips parting under mine, offering entrance. I tugged harder on his hair, tilting his head back so I could trail my lips along his neck, breathing in his cinnamon and honey scent.

His hands were on my waist, fingers lightly trailing up and down my sides. I tightened my legs around him so that he was pressed more firmly against me and heard him gasp.

"L-Lucy…" he gasped out hoarsely.

I bit down on his neck, but kept my fangs retracted so I wouldn't pierce skin. He gave a delicious moan in response so I repeated the action, then sucked at the spot as he liked to do with me.

"Ehem," someone cleared their throat uncomfortably.

I pulled away just enough to cast a steely glare on the intruding bartender. A pink blush colored his cheeks and he couldn't quite look me in the eye as he slid two drinks across the bar.

"Your, um, drinks," he uttered lamely.

"Thanks," I replied flatly, finally releasing Natsu so I could pull my own drink in front of me, then slid his closer to him. I held mine up toward him. "Cheers, baby."

His eyes shone with lust and desire, and I had the sudden thought that there was a good chance he might try and take me right there at the bar, not caring who saw. I wasn't sure I would care either at this point, not with that sexy grin he wore.

"Cheers." He clinked his glass with mine and we each swallowed them down in one pull. Natsu choked on his, which would have made me laugh, but I managed to hold it in and pretend I didn't notice.

We slammed our shots down on the counter at the same time, expressions mirroring one another. Then I slid from the barstool and gripped his hand in mine.

"Dance with me." My tone was commanding. He swallowed and nodded, allowing himself to be pulled onto the dance floor.

I walked backward, keeping my gaze locked on his. Likewise, his eyes never left mine as we backed into the crowd just as the song began to change. I grinned when I recognized the tune. This was the perfect song to dance to.

Once we'd made it into the middle of the floor, I wound my arms around his neck, locking my eyes with his. His hands went to my waist without hesitation and pulled me flush against him, and as the lyrics began to swell around us I moved my hips to the beat.

 _I never leave you sitting there all alone  
It's like he doesn't know what he's got at home_

I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his tantalizing scent as my lips brushed against the bare skin there.

Natsu pulled me even closer, feet moving to match mine as the song continued. One of his legs pushed between mine, forcing one of mine to go between his as well. This put us in an impossibly close position—which was just _hot._

 _I'm coming to pick you up even if it's wrong  
'Cause you're a deluxe custom body style_

Natsu's hands slid up the sides of my body as we moved, brushing the sides of my breasts and then sliding back down before repeating the motion.

 _You make me wanna go too fast  
Pedal heavy on the gas  
Run away and never come back_

"Let's run away," he whispered in my ear, the sound only audible to me because of my superior hearing.

 _I don't wanna ever get caught  
Cause I don't wanna give you up  
Let 'em come and lock me up_

Goddamn, this song was like an anthem for Natsu and me. I shivered and pulled him closer, pressing my lips against his neck, then trailed my tongue along the base of it.

 _Let them lock me up,_ I thought, as his taste filled my senses. _Fuck it. I need him._

 _Your love is a stolen car  
One look, one touch and I had to have you  
I had to have you_

"I had to have you…," he sang along with the song, hands now gripping my waist to force my hips to twist slightly back and forth.

 _He had you sitting in park  
Like a thief in the dark, I have to have you  
I have to have you_

"I have to have you," I breathed into his neck, but knew he didn't hear me.

 _I wanna rev you up, wanna hear you purr_

I spun around so that my back was to him, then slowly shimmied down the front of him, swaying my hips as I did.

 _Red line the night with every turn_

I moved back up, pushing against him with my backside as I did.

 _Run my hands along your every curve  
Cause you're a deluxe custom body style_

His hands went around my front and boldly slid up to my breasts, squeezing them hard and then sliding down the length of my body.

 _You make me wanna go too fast  
Pedal heavy on the gas  
Run away and never come back_

His hands slid along the tops of my thighs and pulled me sharply against him, lips pressing into my neck.

 _Your love is a stolen car  
One look, one touch and I had to have you  
I had to have you_

Teeth grazed my neck, hands groped my thighs… A slow moan escaped my lips…

 _He had you sitting in park  
Like a thief in the dark, I have to have you  
I have to have you_

Hands roamed my body, feeling everywhere, eliciting fire from my skin. Lips sucked hard at my neck as my hips rotated, grinding into him from behind.

 _It's like he gave me his permission  
To your red Ferrari lips_

He spun me around so that I was face-to-face with him once more, his eyes hungry and full of lust.

 _Leaving the keys in the ignition  
How could I not just steal one kiss?_

I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could, he captured my lips with his, plunging his tongue inside.

 _You make me wanna go too fast_

Hands on my back…

 _Pedal heavy on the gas_

Lips crushing mine…

 _Run away and never come back_

He hiked up one of my legs and I wrapped it around his hip, drawing us even closer. We were alone in that club in that moment; no one else existed.

 _I don't wanna ever get caught_

One hand wrapped around my thigh to hold it up while his other hand reached around to hold my back, fingers digging into the skin through my dress.

 _Cause I don't wanna give you up  
Let 'em come and lock me up_

I pushed my pelvis against his, causing him to moan into my mouth and a shudder to go up my spine from the vibration that reverberated through his body.

 _Your love is a stolen car  
One look, one touch and I had to have you  
I had to have you_

I dropped my leg and wrapped my arms around his back, eyes locked on his as I let my body glide down into an almost-split, one leg going between his, while the other went behind me.

 _He had you sitting in park  
Like a thief in the dark, I have to have you  
I have to have you_

He gripped my arms and pulled me back up, hand going into my hair and pulling hard, lips and teeth brushing against my exposed neck.

 _Your love is a stolen car  
Your love is a stolen car_

As the song ended, he began pulling me from the dance floor, arms tightening around me and pulling me up so that my feet hovered a few inches off the ground.

I kept a firm hold around him as he backed me off to the side of the room, lips never leaving my neck as he did. Some people grumbled in annoyance as we pushed past them, but I barely noticed. I tuned out their voices, concentrating on the feel of Natsu's lips against my skin, and the telltale sign of his arousal pressing between my legs.

When my back hit a wall he moved his lips back to mine and pressed his erection into me. My moan gave him instant access into my mouth, an opportunity he took unhesitantly. My hands slid into his hair as his tongue danced with mine and his hands pulled my leg back around his hips so he could grind against me again.

"Mmm." I moaned loudly and moved a hand around to his back, sliding up his shirt so I could rake my nails down his bare skin.

He shuddered in response and rubbed a hand along my bare thigh, then farther up to caress my rear, bare thanks to the lacy black thong I wore. His fingers played with the thin strap of said thong, like he might tear the thing off of me.

When his thumb brushed against my front, just barely touching my clit, I threw my head back in a silent moan.

He moved his lips to my jaw and kissed along the bone there, then kissed down my neck, thumb brushing my clit once more, harder this time.

 _Sweet Mavis, I'm so done for,_ I thought as my hips began to move of their own accord, bucking against his own desire as he continued teasing my clit.

"I have to have you…" He growled into my ear, echoing the words from the song we'd just danced to and sending another shiver down my spine. "Pedal heavy on the gas…" His thumb pushed against my clit, making me cry out. "Run my hands along your every curve…" His free hand slid up my body, feeling the curve of my rear, then my waist, then my breast.

I moaned, eyes rolling into the back of my head.

 _Shit, how is he so good at this?_

The vibration from the music bounced off the wall behind me, reverberating through my body, all the way down to my core, which only added to the arousal.

At least, until a voice suddenly barked out from beside us.

"Hey! You two! This is no place for that kind of behavior!"

We turned toward the voice to see a tall, stern-faced man standing before us, hands on hips, expression somewhere between disgust and annoyance.

Natsu slowly peeled himself off me, chest heaving from the ragged breaths he was taking, thanks to his accelerated heart rate.

"S-Sorry, man," he apologized, giving the man a sheepish grin that was _too damn sexy_ for its own good.

"Yeah, well, next time get a room, will you? I'm trying to run a decent establishment here, not some whore house," he snapped.

I turned a smoldering gaze his way, watching his glower soften into a lax expression as his eyes met mine and glazed over.

"We were never here," I told him. "You never saw anyone with our descriptions tonight, or any night."

"You were never here," he repeated in a flat tone. "I never saw you."

"We can leave now, without you making a report of this… _incident_ ," I added for good measure.

"You can leave now," he repeated.

"Thank you!" I flashed him a smile, then grabbed Natsu's hand and pulled him through the club, along the walls then outside into the cool night air.

I started into a jog that was fast, but slow enough that Natsu could keep up with, as soon as we were outside, keeping up a steady pace until we reached the edge of the forest. I paused here, so Natsu could take a breath and so I could think for a moment.

When I turned back toward him I couldn't help the laugh from spluttering out of my lips. He wore such a scandalized expression, his face beet red, eyes slightly wide.

"Don't look so horrified," I said through laughter. "I promise you he won't remember a thing."

"I'm sorry, Lucy," he whispered after a moment. I frowned. "I got so carried away," he added.

I rolled my eyes. "Please. Like I care about that." I stepped forward and lifted my hands to his face, thumbs brushing against his lips, those sweet, succulent lips…

"Luce," his tone held a warning note to it.

"Sorry," I whispered, dragging my eyes back up to his. "Don't worry, he won't remember seeing us."

"What about all the others who saw us?" he asked worriedly. An adorable frown line appeared between his eyebrows that I had the sudden urge to press my lips against.

I gave a shrug. "What are they going to do? Go home and tell their friends what a 'scandal' they saw tonight?"

"How can you be so nonchalant about this?" he accused.

"Because it doesn't matter," I said adamantly, sliding my arms around his neck and standing on my toes so I could hug him. "Nothing matters as long as we're together," I whispered.

His arms wrapped around my waist, holding me tight. "I love you so much," he breathed into my hair. "I can't lose you."

"Hey," I squeezed him back. "Don't say things like that. Nothing is going to happen to me."

"It's not _you_ that I'm worried about…" His voice was a breath, barely audible, and sent a shiver through me, a shiver of fear this time. I couldn't fault this logic, not really. While I wasn't worried about myself in the slightest, his fragile human nature was a constant concern of mine, a pressing thought at the back of my mind that I worked hard to ignore.

"Nothing will happen to you, either," I promised, putting as much conviction into the words as I could muster so he would believe me. Just because I worried myself half to death didn't mean he had to as well. "Your girlfriend is a badass vampire, remember?" I pulled back and grinned.

He choked on a laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he allowed, then kissed the tip of my nose. "We better head back, it's getting late."

I sighed, knowing he was right, but unwilling to let this moment pass. As soon as we stepped back into the lair, there would be hell to pay, I had no doubt about that.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, expression turning serious. "I told you before, now is your opportunity for escape. You probably won't get a second chance, at least not for some time," I added as a warning.

"And I told _you_ that I wasn't going anywhere without you." He gave me a tight squeeze for emphasis. "I'm never leaving you, Lucy. I wouldn't do that. I love you."

I gave him a wan smile. "I know," I whispered. "I love you, too."

* * *

 **A/N** : Alright, I'm going to address an FAQ to start things off. Everyone is confused about the vampire-age thing discussed between Wendy and Natsu in the last chapter. When first plotting out this story, I had a fairly clear picture of exactly what I wanted this world to look like; exactly what I wanted to happen. Some things, however, were still a bit sketchy in my mind. The age thing is probably more confusing than it actually is in my mind, but some things I fail at explaining, sorry guys! I think I do pretty well for the most part, but even I'm not perfect.

Anyway! So, back to the age thing. Whilst concocting this story, I had a specific reason for wanting to make vampires age slower than humans, so that should be made more clear as the story progresses. So just hang in there, guys! XD Sorry for all the confusion.

 **Terra of Life** , Haha, well, you were basically right XD Natsu passed out because... actually, I can't tell you. Sorry! But that comes into play later on.

 **sassykitten1701** , No lol no vampire-Natsu, sorry! But good guess!

 **MorriganFae** , Well, besides the obvious of him being sexy AF, etc., you'll just have to wait and see if there's anything else that makes our Natsu special XD

 **NekoSkittles** , I love your theories XD I'll tell you now, Lucy isn't pregnant, but as for your other theories, I'll let those play out and see what you got right and wrong XD

 **ThayetJade** , Close! But not quite XD That's actually a good idea, though, to take him back to his old home!

 **Little-Miss-Anime-Luva** , Aw thanks so much!

 **KitKat2648** , Thank you! I'm so glad you're liking the story so far! Welcome~!

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	26. Chapter 25: Natsu

**A/N: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, guys! I am out of town for Labor Day weekend so I had to finish replying to your reviews before I could post today. But here it is, at last! Enjoy~!**

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Twenty-Five: Natsu**

 _I love you, too._

I smiled at her response, at the sincerity in those words and the sparkle in her eyes that shone as bright as the stars above us.

"You're so beautiful," I murmured.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, Casanova, let's get moving."

"Wait." I pulled her closer and pressed my lips to hers briefly. When I pulled back, her eyes were closed. "Now we can go."

Her eyes opened and a grin spread across her lips. "You're such an idiot." Her voice was filled with amusement.

I grinned. "At least I'm not a weirdo." I booped her nose.

She giggled. "Oh yeah, _I'm_ the weird one." She rolled her eyes again then turned and started walking in the opposite direction of town. "Come on, let's go home."

 _Home._

My grin widened at the thought. I had a home now; with someone who loved me and whom I loved. It didn't matter that it was a home full of bloodsucking demons, it was still the closest thing to a home I'd had since Igneel left.

"You know," I said conversationally as we walked, "we should totally think of redecorating our suite."

She snorted. "What do you propose we do? Add flashing lights and speakers?"

Images of the dance we shared in the club popped into my head at that, making me blush. Her body pressed against mine, the way the lights shone on her skin and hair, illuminating her in way that made her look even more ethereal than she already did. Her hands on my skin, her lips on mine, the overwhelming heat her body sent through mine, enveloping me in a fiery glow…

"Nah," I waved off the idea, then gave a light chuckle to hide my sudden embarrassment. "Some coffins and black roses will suffice."

"Very funny," she deadpanned. "You know perfectly well that we—"

She stopped walking abruptly. I frowned in concern as she swayed on her feet.

"Luce?"

"I just… need a minute."

"Are you okay?" I tried to grab hold of her, but she pushed me off.

"I'm fine, Natsu. Just—" She closed her eyes, hands holding the sides of her head, face scrunched as if in pain.

"Luce?"

"I'm fine!" she snapped, then shook her head as if to clear it and started walking again.

"What happened?" I asked, watching her face as we walked.

"Nothing," she replied curtly.

"Lucy, you looked like you were—Luce!"

She started to fall backward. I jumped forward to catch her before she could hit the ground.

"Lucy! Are you okay?" I held her in my arms, eyes scanning over her face, which I only just noticed was much paler than usual—and gaunt too—like she hadn't eaten in awhile.

I sucked in a sharp breath when realization hit me. She probably _hadn't_ eaten in awhile, at least not blood, she'd been too busy cozying up with me.

 _Well, fuck._

"Lucy, come on." I gave her a small shake when she didn't open her eyes right away. "Wake up! Come on, I'll help you, baby, wake up."

"No," she moaned, voice coming out hoarse. "Not… you."

"Well, unless you want to drink from Bambi, it's gotta be me, Luce," I told her, then forced her to sit up. Her eyes opened lazily and she swayed slightly as she tried to focus on me.

 _Fuck, how long has she been fighting this?_

"Drink from me, Luce," I commanded her, trying to make my expression stern. "Let me help you."

She gave a minute shake of her head. "No, I…can't…" her voice trailed off and her eyes began to fall again.

"Lucy!" I shouted, shaking her again until her eyes popped back open, though only narrowly. "Drink." I pulled her close to me so that her face was buried in my neck.

I felt her stiffen in my arms, then shiver as the scent of my blood filled her senses. Her lips brushed against my neck, her breath cool. I closed my eyes, waiting for the bite, and tightened my hold on her, pulling her into my lap.

"Natsu…" she breathed into my neck. She inhaled, then let the breath out in an audible moan. It was heady, that moan, and I had to force back my own as her tongue flicked out and slid along my neck, causing gooseflesh to rise in its wake. "Mmm."

 _Mmm,_ my mind echoed. Her hands kneaded the muscles in my arms as her lips and tongue continued to tease my skin. I didn't know if she was stalling or trying to seduce me or what the fuck she was doing, but damn was it hot.

"Drink from me," I commanded once more, though this time my voice came out more like a moan than a command.

Her breath hissed in response, her lips opened wider, fangs popping free and just touching my skin. I shivered and tilted my head back to allow her easier access.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, she bit into my neck, filling me once again with that euphoric high.

"Ooh," I moaned as she drank from me. I tightened my hold on her waist as her fingers tightened on my arms. My hands pulled her closer, then slid up her dress to caress bare skin.

Lucy's long, sharp nails bit into the skin of my upper arms as she drank, but I didn't fucking care. I was high and beyond aroused by that point. The feel of her bite juxtaposed with the rotation of her hips on mine was almost enough to finish me off right then and there.

When at last she pulled away from my neck and sealed the wound, I took no time in capturing her mouth with mine, hardly noticing the faintly metallic taste that still coated her tongue. I tightened my hold around her, then eased her down onto the forest floor, never breaking the kiss. Immediately, her legs wrapped around my waist and I slid a hand up a long limb.

Her hands moved down my arms and my back to the hem of my t-shirt, which she slid her hands under and began to push up my body, slowly. Her nails lightly brushed against my bare skin as she pushed the shirt up, but just as she pulled back from my lips to pull the shirt over my head, something crashed into me, sending me flying.

I cried out as my body collided painfully with a tree trunk and then fell to the ground in a heap. I grimaced as I pushed myself back onto my knees, then looked over to where Lucy had been a moment ago.

"Lucy!" I yelled.

Lucy was being held down by three bulky men I recognized immediately as some of Minerva's minions. They had cloth around their eyes, which meant they were operating entirely from sound and smell.

 _But why? What was the purpose of—_

Then I got it.

As Lucy struggled against their combined hold, it hit me. Lucy couldn't wield her power over them if their eyes were concealed. Minerva had found a way past a Queen's only defense. Lucy was strong, I knew, but she couldn't fight three men by herself.

I had to do something.

I pushed to my feet and leapt toward her, charging one of the vamps that held my girl. I hit him at full force, then bounced back as if from a spring board, landing on my back. The air was knocked out of me for a moment, forcing me to lie there helplessly. The man didn't even seem to register my attack.

"Natsu!" Lucy screeched.

Then, amazingly, all three men went flying away from her and Lucy flashed the few feet toward me. She held a hand to my face, eyes quickly scanning over me to register that I was okay, then jumped to her feet and took up a battle stance.

"Alright, you bastards," she seethed. "What the hell do you want?"

"We're from Sabertooth," one man said, wavering slightly on his feet as his head cocked to the side, listening. He had dark hair and equally dark skin, and an ugly sneer.

"We've come to collect what is rightfully ours," another added, this one pale as the moon above, a sharp contrast to his comrade. Each wore the familiar Sabertooth insignia I had grown to recognize as their coven mark.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lucy demanded. I had a feeling, seeing her clenched fists at her sides, that she already knew the answer to that question.

And so did I.

I sat up, then slowly stood as my vision cleared. "They want me."

Lucy growled low in her throat and positioned herself so that she stood slightly in front of me. "Well, they aren't getting you!" she declared adamantly.

"Our Queen wishes for you to return what she so fairly collected," said the first guy.

"Tell her to go to hell!" Lucy hollered, baring her teeth at them, fangs gleaming against the light of the moon above.

"You're a stupid little girl," a bald guy with yellowing fangs sneered at her. "We knew exactly where to find you, thanks to the little snack you just had." He gave a maniacal laugh that had both Lucy and I cringing. "If you hadn't been so foolish, we might not have found you tonight."

"That," added Dark Skin, "and we could smell your desire from a mile away."

I stiffened at that. Were they for real? They could _smell_ the desire Lucy and I had toward each other? How strong did that have to be for a vampire to smell it?

"It won't matter," Lucy growled. "You can't have him; he's mine now!"

Pale Guy spoke up. "M'lady doesn't like when people take things that belong to her."

"He doesn't belong to her anymore," Lucy's voice was low and menacing, and even I was almost afraid of it. "I've already laid Claim on him; _he belongs to me_."

The three men all faltered slightly, mouths gaping. I shared their confusion, blinking over at her.

 _Laid Claim on me? The fuck did that mean?_

"Yes," Lucy continued, her tone more confident now, though still a little terrifying, "Minerva can't touch him now."

Baldy's nostrils flared, then a sneer crossed his lips. "I admit you had us for a minute there, girly," he said. Lucy's confident smirk faded. "But I've got the best nose this coven has ever seen! I can smell a Claim from a mile away, and that boy doesn't have one."

"Too bad," added the pale one with mock pity. "We might have considered letting him go if you had."

"But probably not." Dark Skin barked a laugh.

"You bastards!" Lucy shrieked. "You can't take him!"

"We weren't asking your permission, bitch," the first guy said, then lunged toward me, teeth and fangs bared.

"NO!" Lucy screamed and gave me a shove backward, pushing hard enough against my chest to send me flying several feet. I hit the ground with a grunt of pain, then looked up to see Lucy locked in battle with the three blindfolded guys.

She was somehow managing to hold her own against them, even though they clearly overpowered her as far as brute strength went. Lucy wasn't weak, though, despite her fragile appearance.

Baldy swung a roundhouse kick at her, but Lucy grabbed the leg mid-swing and twisted it, then kicked Pale Guy hard enough to send him flying into a nearby tree.

The dark skinned one came up behind her, and I called out a warning just as she swung Baldy around and hit the other man in the chest with his body. They fell to the ground but it didn't seem to faze them in the least. Within seconds they were back up and flashing toward Lucy once more.

Lucy bared her fangs and ducked, diving under them then rolling back up to her feet as they flew toward her with insane speed. They faltered slightly but recovered quickly, turning on Lucy with bared fangs.

It was kind of amazing, I had to admit, that they were able to fight so diligently while blindfolded. It was also pretty terrifying. That meant that it didn't matter if they could see you or not, they could still kill you in an instant.

Baldy flashed at Lucy, who stood perfectly still several feet away, red eyes gleaming. Before he could swing his readied fist at her face, Lucy jumped into the air, landing on his back and surprising him enough to make him tumble to his knees.

She bit into the flesh of his neck and tore out a chunk of it, spitting the chunk out on the ground near Pale Guy.

I cringed and coughed, gagging at the grotesque attack, but unable to look away.

Baldy roared in pain and rage, then began trying to buck Lucy off—but it was too late for him.

"ENOUGH!" she shouted into his ear.

Immediately, he stopped his movements, his whole body going slack.

The other two, who had been about to attack her as well, halted in their place as if suddenly frozen, but I knew better. Lucy had somehow gained power over Baldy, but the other two were simply shocked. Neither seemed prepared for this turn of events.

 _What a sick twist of fate,_ I thought with some amusement, smirking as the other two continued to stand there in mid-lunge, looking completely baffled.

That shock only lasted seconds, however, and then they were both flashing toward her once more.

Lucy dove off the man, who had now slumped onto his face in the dirt, and landed gracefully on the balls of her feet. Blood dripped from her exposed fangs as she seethed before them.

"I won't let you take him!" she promised, then spun a hard, heeled-shoe kick into the dark skinned one's chest. The stake-like heel pierced his skin, making him cry out in pain.

 _We're going to win this!_ I thought, as the man fell to the ground, now lifeless.

Just as hope began to surge within me, I caught sight of more vampires heading this way.

"Lucy, look out!" I called, as five more bloodsuckers joined the fight.

Lucy's head whipped around at the sound of my voice.

Her eyes went wide at something behind me and she screamed my name just as a pair of hands went around my throat.

* * *

 **MorriganFae** , OMGEEEE dude LMAO! You always crack me up so bad!

 **turtle3334** , Awww you live in Houston? My heart goes out to you, my dear! 333 Seriously, that was a terrible tragedy. I do hope you and your family are alright!

 **FairyTailBookworm** , Riiiiigggght you are, my dear! Shit just hit the fan. Sorry, Nalu 3

 **ThayetJade** , It's not the Day of Rest, Lucy just took them out because she thought she could get away with it, but clearly she was wrong! And that's what happens when you don't follow the rules, Luce~~

 **Forever Nalu** , Thanks! I might have thrown the compulsion term in there once before, but I don't remember for sure. It's highly possible that I never mentioned it until now since none of the vampires had been around humans, save Natsu.

 **Neko Lucy-Chan** , THAT little piece of information will be revealed... well, soon XD I promise! I think in the next Natsu chapter.

Great question! However... it's hard to answer at this point because I don't want to give spoilers. I will tell you this, not all vampires have magic like in the regular Fairy Tail verse. Most vampires do have compulsion up to an extent, though Queens will, of course, be able to do that better than others, and only a Queen can compel another vampire. So, some DO have special powers, but I won't go into detail on that lest I spoil the story! Don't worry, though, it will explain more on that in the next few chapters!

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	27. Chapter 26: Wendy

**A/N: I'm going to apologize in advance for everyone who wants to kill me for leaving them with a cliffhanger last chapter and then making you wait a whole extra week for the answers XD But you guys needed to know what was going on below ground! And who doesn't love a bit of Wendy? Forgive me~!**

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Twenty-Six: Wendy**

A party was in full swing back at the Fairy Tail coven. Everyone was celebrating Lucy's third year as coven Queen. They were all joyful, enjoying the festivities in honor of their beloved Queen. Fairy Tail was always up for a party, of course, so they were merely operating under the pretense that this was for Lucy. Still, they were having a relaxed time, in light of everything happening around them.

Well, all except for one.

Wendy stood off to the side of the royal throne room, anxiously pacing back and forth, biting her long, pointed nails into short, jagged stubs. Her mind was reeling, and worry made her feel like she was sweating. She remembered the sensation from when she was still human, could feel the perspiration dripping down her neck as if it were happening right now.

Her feet hurt, even after she'd taken off the short kitten heels Mirajane had put her in. She was now barefoot with an elegant emerald green dress that just touched her knees and a blue satin belt around her slim waist. Her hair was pulled back into twin tails, but the hair bands holding them in pace had begun to slip, as she kept anxiously tugging at the strands.

 _I can't believe she_ left _!_ Wendy thought for the hundredth time that night. _What will I do if someone finds out? What if they smell Natsu's scent in the hallways? What if they're stopped before they even get to the surface entrance? What if something bad happens to them up there?! What if—?_

"Wendy."

Her thoughts stopped abruptly—as did her pacing—at the sound of her name. She turned to find Erza standing before her, clad in a gorgeous violet gown that shimmered in the light cast from the crystal chandeliers above them. She wore silver heels that looked way too high to be comfortable, yet she looked perfectly at ease in them as she stood before the bluenette, offering her a kind smile.

Wendy tried to smile in return, but she was still too caught up in her worry to really muster up one convincing enough to avoid suspicion.

Erza's smile faded slightly, replaced with a look of concern. "What's wrong, Wendy?" she asked.

"Nothing!" Wendy replied hastily, plastering on a fake smile that didn't touch her eyes.

"Wendy," Erza's tone was stern now, "do not lie to me."

 _Oh, no! She sees right through me! What do I do?!_

"I'm not lying to you, Erza," she said after a moment of thought. "I'm just a bit anxious is all. You know, it's nearing that time again."

Erza's expression softened. "You're right. I'm sorry, Wendy. I completely forgot about that. Has Lucy been helping you to prepare?"

Wendy nodded. "Yes, Erza. Lucy has been a huge help!"

In reality, Wendy had been too preoccupied with Lucy and Natsu's relationship, and trying to help them stay secret, to even think about her own life. She wasn't prepared for what was to come in the least. She didn't know what she would do on that day, but she couldn't think about that just then. She had to be strong: for Lucy, for Natsu.

"Good." Erza nodded in approval, then surprised the smaller girl by pulling her against her bosom. "I worry about you, Wendy. I'm glad to see you spending so much time under Queen Lucy's watchful eye. She will turn you into a warrior yet."

"Thank-you," Wendy choked out, voice muffled against Erza's chest.

"Why are you hiding over here in the corner?" Came a new voice.

Both Erza and Wendy looked up and smiled at the approaching figure.

"Hi, Gray!" Wendy greeted with a genuine smile.

"Wendy, Erza," he greeted in return, giving them a small bow of respect. "Anyone seen the Queen? I figured you'd be stuck to her side." A pointed look at Wendy.

She gave a nervous giggle in return. "Uh, Lucy had to run to the restroom, I think!"

"The restroom?" Erza repeated, frowning.

"Women." Gray shook his head in amusement. "It's always something. Well, tell her to come find me when she's done powdering her nose, will you?" He bowed again, then turned and left the two women alone.

"He's a strange boy," Erza commented when Gray was back across the room, chatting with some other coven mates.

"How so?" asked Wendy curiously. She liked Gray—like a big brother, or an uncle—she didn't think he was strange. He had always been there for her, ever since she'd joined the Fairy Tail coven. He, Lucy, and Erza were the parents she had lost in the fire that one fateful day. She owed them her life—in more ways than one.

She remembered the day she first met Gray, when she was still human. It was one of the few clear memories she had from before. Gray had been part of the party that had rescued her from the burning fire. She remembered his reassuring smile, even in the midst of everything. She remembered his cool touch, a sharp contrast to the fire that had surrounded her moments before. She thought he was an angel, then. Now she knew better, but she still thought he was something special.

"He came all the way over here just to ask about Queen Lucy," Erza said, still watching Gray.

"Everyone wants to know where Lucy is," Wendy pointed out. "It's her party."

"That's true," Erza conceded. "Though I can't help but feel that there is something going on here that I don't know about." Now she turned a pointed look on Wendy.

She resisted the urge to cower under Erza's terrifying gaze. "L-Like what?" she stammered.

 _Don't act suspicious. Don't act suspicious!_

"I'm not certain," she replied, "but when I find out what it is, whoever is responsible for keeping that information from me is going to have hell to pay."

Wendy gulped and blinked rapidly to clear the tears from her eyes. "Y-Yes, ma'am!"

Erza's glower turned into a grin. "Oh, don't worry, my sweet Wendy! I'm not talking about you!" She hugged her again, a little too tightly.

Wendy stiffened in her hold, but blew out a relieved breath that she, at least, was above Erza's suspicion. That woman could be scary when she wanted to be.

Who was she kidding, Erza could be scary when she _didn't_ want to be.

Erza pulled back and held Wendy's shoulders at arm's length. "Now, if you see Lucy, you direct her to _me_ before anyone else. Is that understood?" She arched an eyebrow.

Wendy gave a rapid nod . "Yes, Erza! I'll go find her right away!"

"Good." Erza let her go then booped her nose. "You look darling tonight, by the way." Then she turned on her heel and headed onto the dance floor, toward a finely dressed Jellal who stood not too far off.

Wendy couldn't help the fond smile as she watched Erza wrap herself in his embrace, or the faintest blush that colored her cheeks when he captured her lips in a chaste kiss.

Wendy sighed. _Lucy, please be okay._

"What's up, squirt?"

Wendy jumped at the unexpected voice. "Gajeel! You frightened me."

He frowned down at her. "You're a vampire, ain't ya, squirt? Can't you hear?" It wasn't an accusation, he seemed genuinely curious.

"Well, yes," she admitted, "normally I can, but I was—"

"Lost in your own thoughts?" he guessed. She nodded. He placed a rough hand atop her head. "Don't worry so much, kid. It'll all work out."

"Y-You really think so?" she asked. "But you don't even know what—"

"Don't need to know," he interrupted. "I'm confident that all will be fine."

"How can you be so sure?" she muttered, not feeling the least bit confident about her situation. In fact, she was sure something terrible was about to go down.

Gajeel scratched the back of his neck. "You just gotta have hope, right, kid? Look… I'm gonna tell ya something, okay?" She glanced up at him and waited for him to continue. "My old man was a real piece of work—an arrogant asshole who thought he was made of gold or something,"he rolled his eyes, "but he was still my pop, you know? He took care of me, showed me all the things I needed to know, kept me safe. Until…"

"Until?" she prompted quietly.

"Until, one day he didn't," he finished. "He disappeared one day without so much as a goodbye." He scoffed and ran a hand through his long, black hair. "The bastard didn't even have the balls to tell me he was leavin'. Can you believe that?" He barked a laugh. "Anyway, even after that I still had hope that I'd find his ass one day, if only so that I could wring his neck myself."

Wendy giggled. Gajeel gave her a smile in return. "There's always hope, girl. Just keep that in mind."

She nodded and watched as Gajeel found Levy on the dance floor.

 _Hope. Yes, I can have hope. I will._

…

Later that evening, Wendy was racing through the tunnels of the coven at lightening speed, hoping to avoid any passersby on her way to Lucy's personal chambers. Once she hit a certain tunnel there wouldn't be anyone else roaming about, as Lucy's personal quarters spanned a good half-mile in diameter. So she was confident that she wouldn't run into anyone else.

Of course, assumptions were often proven wrong, and in this case Wendy's assumption that no one would be in the Queen's quarters was most definitely _wrong_.

She collided with someone's hard chest, bounced off of it like a springboard, and landed ungracefully on her rear.

"Laxus!" she exclaimed when her eyes fell on the tall blonde who glowered down at her.

"What are you doing down here?" he demanded.

"I was just—" she stopped when she realized something. "Wait, why are _you_ here? You have no business in the Queen's chambers!"

His glower turned into an almost menacing glare. "I had some business I wanted to discuss with her," he spat. "I didn't expect to run into some little girl."

Now Wendy glowered. "Hey! I'm the Queen's assistant! I serve the Council, remember?"

"I _am_ the Council, you squirt." He reached out a hand so fast, Wendy was certain he was about to strike her. She cowered, squeezing her eyes shut in fear. But he didn't hit her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto her feet.

She blinked in surprise. Laxus was looking away now, eyes narrowed at a spot down the hall, back the way Wendy had just come.

"Laxus—" Wendy started, but was interrupted before she could finish her sentence.

"Just tell Queeny I stopped by, will ya? I ain't got time to wait around for Her Royal Highness."

Then he flashed by her, fast enough to make a sudden wind throw her hair back.

"Well, that was strange," she muttered, before continuing on her way to Lucy's bedchamber.

When she reached it, she knocked on the door, five times, paused, then knocked twice more. It was their secret code to let them know when Wendy was at the door, so Natsu would know he didn't have to hide. Though, she realized a moment later, if Lucy's plan worked and she really did leave Natsu on the surface, then it would no longer matter.

"Lucy?" Wendy called out when no answer came. Not that she was all that surprised. If she hadn't opened up for Laxus, then she probably wasn't back yet. Although, Wendy wouldn't be surprised if Lucy was ignoring her fellow blonde Council member. He was rather obnoxious, and not to mention rude. And scary.

"Lucy, it's me, Wendy. Are you in there?" She knocked again, louder this time, but again no answer came. Taking a quick glance around the immediate area, she fished out the key Lucy had given her for emergencies, and stuck it in the lock in Lucy's bedroom door.

She pushed inside and found the room dark, a sure indication that no one was home. Still, she stepped inside and closed the door behind her, turning the lock before flicking on the light switch.

Nothing.

No sign of either Lucy or Natsu.

Wendy sighed, feeling worry start to seep back into her. It was still fairly early in the evening, and Lucy and Natsu hadn't been gone for _that_ long yet, but she still worried that something terrible had happened. She had had a bad feeling ever since Lucy told her she would be going above ground. She'd tried to warn her, to beg her not to go, but Lucy hadn't listened.

Wendy wiped tears from her eyes as she dropped into Lucy's plush chair. She curled up there, ready to wait up for her friend as long as it took.

"Lucy, why did you have to go?" she wondered aloud. The memory from earlier that day popped into her head then, of just before Lucy took off…

 _Wendy watched Lucy change four different times before finally settling on the short, black dress with matching heels. She looked stunning, Wendy thought, noting how her impressive bust made the dress look even sexier, and dared a peek down at her own nearly-flat chest. She sighed and looked back up at Lucy, who was pumping her chest up as if trying to make it appear bigger. Wendy hid a scowl._

" _What's wrong, Wends?" Natsu asked from where he sat up on the bed, hands behind his head, enjoying the show that was Lucy._

" _Nothing," she lied._

 _Lucy glanced over at her, noticing the false note in her voice. "Wendy, don't worry, you'll get them too, I promise."_

 _Wendy scowled at the floor. Lucy flashed across the room and pulled the younger girl into her arms, cradling her like a small child._

" _Hey!" Wendy protested, but didn't pull out of the embrace._

" _It will happen for you," Lucy whispered into her ear. "I was a late bloomer, too."_

 _Wendy didn't believe that but smiled anyway. Lucy always knew how to make her feel better, she just had that kind of way about her. She had a motherly feel that Wendy always cherished. She loved Lucy and was happy that, if she couldn't have her real mother, she at least had Lucy to make her feel safe and loved._

" _Thanks, Lucy." Wendy pulled back and smiled at the blonde._

 _Lucy winked in return and placed her back on the stool she had been sitting on. "So?" she asked the two of them a moment later. "What do we think of this one?"_

 _She wore a short black dress that just touched her thighs, the bust of the dress folding together in her cleavage, held together with a silver star-shaped medallion. It showed off her large bust, as well as much of her thighs._

" _Sexy as fuck." Natsu grinned in approval._

" _It's nice!" Wendy complimented._

" _Really?" Lucy asked, turning to look in the mirror. "I feel like it may be a little much." She frowned at her reflection, turning to get different views._

" _It's just enough," Natsu's voice low._

It's not enough, _Wendy thought._

 _Aloud, she said, "It's great!"_

 _Lucy shrugged. "Alright. If you guys like it, I guess it'll do."_

 _Wendy and Natsu exchanged amused glances._

" _Hey, Natsu?" Lucy turned and gave him a sugary sweet smile. "Would you mind ever so much changing into the dapper new outfit I found for you? It's in the bathroom."_

 _Natsu groaned. "It's not some stupid monkey suit, is it?"_

 _Lucy laughed, but even Wendy picked up on the false note. She frowned, but it didn't look like Natsu had noticed so she tried to hide her suspicions—for now._

" _No!" she assured him. "It's just some nice jeans and a t-shirt. You'll love it."_

" _Fine," he groaned and slipped from the bed, his tone conveying just how much of an inconvenience this was for him._

 _As soon as the bathroom door closed between them, Lucy was at Wendy's side._

" _Wendy," she hissed in the girl's ear, whispering only loud enough for her to hear. "I need to get Natsu out of here. Tonight."_

 _Wendy couldn't hold back her gasp of surprise. "You mean, out of your room?"_

 _Was that why Lucy wanted him to change? Was she finally going to present him before the coven as a mate?_

 _No, she definitely wasn't allowed to marry humans, even humans-turned-vampires, if Wendy recalled the laws correctly. A Queen could only marry pure bloods, and Natsu did not fall into that category._

 _Still. Lucy wasn't always the most traditional Queen, Wendy knew. Maybe she didn't care about that law? Maybe she was going to tell the other Council members to stuff it, that Natsu was her one true love and she didn't care what any of them thought about it. Surely they would have to have mercy on them. After all, if what Lucy and Natsu said was true, the pair were soulmates—bound as one for eternity. The Council couldn't really hope to tear that bond apart, could they?_

 _Lucy shook her head. "No, Wendy. Out of the coven, away from all the vampires. He needs to be with humans, it's where he belongs."_

 _Wendy's eyes pricked with tears. "But he doesn't want to go, he's said as much a dozen times over. He loves you, Lucy."_

" _Love won't save him in the end," Lucy replied somberly. "It will only get him killed. I couldn't live with myself if that ever happened, especially when I could have done something to stop it."_

" _You love him," Wendy whispered._

 _Lucy nodded. "Yes. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, but that is exactly why I must set him free. He isn't my possession to keep locked away anymore, he never was. He has to go live his own life, now, with other humans."_

 _Wendy watched as Lucy averted her gaze to hide the tears that threatened to spill over. Her body shook with silent sobs, and Wendy ached to wrap her arms around her mother-figure, to tell her everything was going to be okay, the way Lucy had always done for her. But everything_ wasn't _going to be okay, Wendy could feel it. There was this sick feeling deep in her gut, screaming at her to tell Lucy this was a bad idea._

Not tonight, not tonight! _it screamed inside of her._

 _Just as Wendy opened her mouth to give Lucy a warning, the bathroom door opened and Natsu stepped out._

 _Lucy spun around so fast Wendy almost didn't notice her swipe at her eyes. She plastered on a fake smile that Wendy was sure the pinkette would see right through, but he was either in full oblivious mode that night, or he just wasn't paying attention._

" _Well?" he asked. "How do I look, Luce?"_

" _Perfect," Lucy replied, voice cracking a bit at the end. She cleared her throat. "You look great. Let's go."_

 _As she and Natsu walked by, Lucy gave her a wink. "Don't wait up~" Her tone implied that this was some romantic getaway, but her eyes betrayed this. Her eyes told Wendy to keep this secret, to protect Natsu, as she had done for the last month and a half._

 _Wendy nodded as the two passed by her, bidding them each good luck as they disappeared out the door._

Tears dripped down Wendy's cheeks, tears of shame that she hadn't been brave enough to call out to them, to beg them to stay, to demand they wait for another day, or another party, or another lifetime, anything! Now, it was too late.

" _Don't wait up,_ " Lucy had said, but how could she not? And how long should she wait before she should truly start to worry? What would she do if neither Lucy nor Natsu returned?

She'd had sensations like these before, premonitions of sorts, though very rarely. It was Wendy who mentioned to the Council that something might be amiss with Sabertooth, leading to their members finding their cameras all disabled around the perimeter. She had been right that time, but was she right in this?

She really hoped not.

"Please be okay," she whispered into the empty space, and willed her words to reach them. They would make it back safely, whether Lucy brought Natsu back or not, they would each be safe. She just had to believe that. She had to keep hope.

* * *

 **celistastar** , I can't answer that, sorry! You'll have to keep reading to find out!

 **Neko Lucy-Chan** , I know! I'm sorry! Some questions will just lead to spoilers! I promise your questions will be answered! As for your current questions regarding how the Saber-vamps were able to smell Lucy and Natsu... If you recall, in Lucy's last Council meeting they were discussing how Sabertooth was skirting their coven border. They have vampires patrolling, waiting for someone from Fairy Tail to go up to the surface. Then when Lucy drank from Natsu, that scent of human blood brought them right to them. It is similar to how the Dragon Slayer senses work, yes! Vamps have serious sense of smell. And thank you so much for the compliments! XD I do occasionally work on original stories, but I don't have as much time anymore since I've been focusing on TOF. But someday, I might!

 **Tohka123** , Nah, despite what it sounds like, it's not about sex haha. That will be explained in detail later on. I think it's chapter 37 or 38.

 **turtle3334** , Good to hear you weren't affected by the hurricane too badly. That was a terrible event, I'm happy to know you're alright!

 _Beta: Sleeping4tNight_


	28. Chapter 27: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven: Lucy**

"NATSU!" I screamed as a vampire came up behind him and wrapped his hands around Natsu's throat. Before I could go to him—to rip the bastard's head off that dared touch my man—someone else knocked me to the ground and pinned me there.

I cried out as my face knocked against the ground, hard. On top of me, the guy snickered at my pain then used the heel of his hand to push my face harder into the dirt.

 _Come on, Lucy,_ I coached myself, _get up! You have to protect him; you have to keep him safe._

I bucked against the man holding me down but he outweighed me by a lot and brute strength went a long way when one couldn't use her Queenly powers to aid her. That wasn't to say that I was entirely helpless in a battle of strength, however. I didn't spend the last three years sitting around, after all. I'd done my fair share of physical training as well. Plus, being Queen had its advantages.

"LUCY KICK!" I shouted, sending a kick into the chest of a long-haired vampire. He went flying back into another who was advancing on me. There were a total of six vampires surrounding me, plus one holding Natsu. I had to think fast and get rid of those bastards or come up with a plan to get Natsu out of here, now.

I saw Natsu struggling from the corner of my eye and growled low in my throat, shoving the guy who grabbed at me.

These vampires weren't blindfolded like the other three. Their eyes had been gouged from their sockets—recently if the trails of blood down their cheeks was any indication. I wondered, briefly, how long Minerva had spent training her men to fight blind before she made the efforts permanent. I also wondered how many of these blind soldiers she had in her ranks. Last I'd heard, Sabertooth was losing vampires, not gaining them. She must have been acting on her own, leaving the VEC in the dark.

"Natsu!" I called behind me. "Get out of here!"

He didn't respond, likely because he was still being choked by that fucker.

That would not do.

I roared in rage and grabbed the guy in front of me by the shirt, then swung him in the direction of the one holding Natsu. When he collided with the other guy I screamed out, "RUN!" barely paying mind to the way Natsu slumped to the ground on his hands and knees, coughing and heaving. He wasn't going anywhere, I realized. He was too weak from the blood I took from him and all this fighting.

 _Dammit_!

I had to do something.

Four other sightless men came at me from all sides. It was overwhelming—an impossible situation with no obvious solution. I didn't know what to do.

I kept on fighting.

As one vampire tried to grab me from the right, I gripped his throat, sharp claws digging in, and kicked out with my right leg, which connected with the groin of a shorter, though still bulky, man.

He groaned and fell to his knees, hands cupping his injured man parts. I had only a moment of satisfaction before the next one was on me—literally.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled as a tall, burly beast of a man—with a build similar to Elfman's—jumped on top of me, effectively pushing me down and pinning me to the ground.

I cried out as my head smacked against a rock, seeing stars for a moment. The man salivated over me, saliva dripping from bared fangs as his face lowered to my neck.

 _Screw you, asshole,_ I thought in disgust then sent my knee up into his groin as well, then used the shock of the blow to shove him off me. I buried my nails in his chest and pulled out his heart, a sure way to kill any human, vampire, etc., and tossed it into the face of the third man. He let out a strangled noise and backpedaled, tripping over another rock and falling onto his back. Really, Minerva should have trained her minions a little better. If this was the best they could do, then this fight would be a piece of cake.

A choked cry from Natsu had me momentarily distracted. I was on my feet in less than a second and swiveled in his direction, searching for whoever had caused him pain. My eyes fell on a black-haired, eyeless man—whose hands were wrapped around Natsu's neck.

 _Oh, hell no._

I flashed across the clearing toward them, but just as my fist was about to make contact with the man's face, something shot out and smacked me right in the chest. I went flying in the opposite direction—back where I had just come from—right into a tree.

"Asshole!" I cried out, then flashed back in his direction, only to hit an invisible barrier and bounce right off of it. I growled in frustration and beat my fists against it.

 _That was a dirty trick,_ I thought. An invisible barrier. That could only be the result of one of the Exceptionals—the elitist vampires with special powers; those who could fight with both strength _and_ magic.

Natsu's face was turning purple, his eyes rolling to the back of his head, hands desperately clawing at the bastard who held him.

"Let him _go_!" I screamed, slamming against the barrier again and again in desperate fury.

"The boy belongs to m'lady," someone said, before smashing my face against the invisible shield.

I growled and tried to kick the guy off of me, but he had apparently learned from his comrades' mistakes and pressed himself firmly against my back so that I had no room to move or fight back.

This left me at quite the disadvantage, but they couldn't take me down that easily. I wasn't just Queen because my mother had passed on. I knew how to fight; I could hold my own against these guys; I would save Natsu and return him to the coven where we would never leave again. Maybe I would finally give him what he so desperately wanted and make him a vampire, Claim him and make him a part of my coven. Then no one could ever threaten us again.

Too bad I never got the chance.

I struggled against the one who held me against the barrier, helplessly watching Natsu's face turn from purple to a dark blue. Two more Sabertooth cronies came at me from either side, flashing toward me with impossible speed.

 _Alright, Lucy, think!_

I closed my eyes and let my instincts take over, using my hearing and smell in the same way they were. Maybe that was the trick here, focus on only a few senses in order to heighten them.

 _Footsteps pounding heavily on grass._

 _Snarling teeth._

 _Growling._

 _Breath._

I threw my head back, hard, right into the guy's nose, then kicked out with my right leg, which connected with the vamp coming at me from that direction. It hit him right in the groin, which was really just too perfect to have been purposeful.

I quirked him a grin as his face contorted with pain and he struggled to come at me again. I made a "come and get me" gesture, which was lost on him since he was blind.

Damn.

"I'm rolling my eyes at you~!" I sang aloud, voice full of a cockiness I didn't really possess but had always been good at faking. "Oh, and now I'm _winking_ at you!"

The guy growled and sprang forward. I jumped to the side to dodge his attack and he slammed face first into a nearby tree.

Cackling, I slipped out of the way of the other vampire who'd come up in this other guy's place, only this one was much more adept than the last. He easily guessed what I was about to do and snatched me by my arm, pulling me roughly against his chest and snarling in my ear, pinning my arms around him and rendering them useless.

"You little bitch!" Saliva dropped from his exposed fangs and sprayed the back of my neck.

I struggled in his hold, using all the strength I had, and even some I didn't know I had, to fight against him. This vampire was stronger than the others, however, and gave me a much harder time.

I let out a frustrated cry as I threw myself to the ground, or tried to, but the guy kept a strong grip on me, unwavering in strength. It didn't even seem like my struggles were phasing him. He wasn't affected by them at all!

 _Cocky bastard._

I threw my head back, hoping to catch him off-guard enough to get a good hit to his nose, but the position he had me in—my back pressed firmly against his heavily muscled chest, arms held securely around his back and stretching to the point of almost breaking—made it impossible for me to gain any ground.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the other two vamps I had just kicked out of commission were coming back for a second round now that I was helpless to fight against them.

I fought to keep the smirk off my face as they came at me, expressions triumphant. As soon as they were in range, I used Mr. Muscles' tight hold on me to my advantage, tightening my core and pulling my legs up to kick them both in the chest with my heels. The long, pointy stilettos easily pierced skin and slipped between their rib cages at just the right angle to hit them each in the heart.

This time I did smirk. Natsu often asked me why I wore such tall shoes all the time. I bet he didn't ask again after that night.

Thinking about Natsu made my smirk fall and I turned frantically to search for him. He was kneeling on his hands and knees, coughing up bile into the grass.

 _Where did that vampire go?_

My eyes scanned the immediate area, but I didn't see, smell or sense the one who had held him. Maybe he'd run in fear? Doubtful.

"Don't be so cocky, little girl," Mr. Muscles sneered into my ear. "I've still got you, and I don't intend to let you out of this one alive."

I watched with wide eyes as his hand shot out impossibly fast toward my chest. Despite myself, I froze in fear and pinched my eyes shut, looking away as I waited for death.

They say that your whole life flashes before your eyes at the moment of your death, but only one image came to mind in that moment: pink hair, a crooked grin, scent like honey and cinnamon. If his was the last face I saw before I died, I supposed that wasn't so bad.

Only, death didn't come.

Just as his claws tapped my chest, the long nails barely scratching the surface of my skin, he suddenly gave a roar of pain and dropped me. I fell onto my knees but quickly jumped to my feet and spun around—and gasped at what I saw.

Mr. Muscles was _on fire_.

I gaped at the impossible sight as the beefy man frantically patted his skin to put out the flames, cursing and roaring and, finally, falling to the earth, dead.

 _What. The. Hell?!_

I spun around, looking for the source of the sudden flames that saved my life just in time, but could end it just as quickly.

My eyes landed on something that I would never fully believe—it was just too impossible!

Natsu was holding a ball of fire— _in his hand!_

"Natsu!" I cried out.

He half-kneeled a few feet away from me, fist raised toward the vampire who had been about to kill me. His expression was a mix of furious rage and total fear.

I wanted to rush to his side, to wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in him, but he held a weapon in his hand, one that could kill me just as easily as it had my would-be murderer.

I stayed where I was.

"Lucy," Natsu choked out. The fireball in his hand flickered, like a candle about to go out. His hand shook, then fell to the ground at his side. The flame died as his hand made contact with the earth. "I'm sorry."

He started to fall.

"Natsu!" I flashed to his side in seconds, catching him just in time before his head hit the ground and barely registering that the invisible shield was no longer up. "Natsu, what _was_ that?"

"I'm… not sure," he admitted in a hoarse tone. He looked beat up, face covered in flowering purple bruises already, one eye swollen shut, yet somehow he was still smiling. "It was badass, though."

I resisted the urge to smack him. "Idiot." I choked on a sob as I hugged him to me, then pressed my lips to his. "You saved my life," I whispered.

"Don't mention it." He grinned.

I was just about to answer him when something suddenly grabbed hold of my hair and yanked hard. I cried out but didn't have a chance to even consider fighting back when my life suddenly flashed before my eyes. Or well, _his_ life.

" _NATSU!_ " I shrieked, my voice a loud, piercing scream that filled the air and made several vampires flinch.

Another beefy looking vampire held a knife to Natsu's throat, while two more held onto both of his arms, each with similar looking knives and sinister expressions.

Natsu was frozen in place as the vampires held his feet just above the ground so that they dangled there helplessly.

"That's a good girl." The one holding me chuckled into my ear. I growled and struggled feebly against his hold, but the fight wasn't in me the same way it was before. There were three guys holding Natsu, four more off to the sides, and three hovering around me.

Suddenly realizing that I had literally no other choice, I fell limp in the man's arms.

He dropped me, more out of shock than anything else, but when he made to grab me again, someone else held up a hand to stop him, one of the bastards holding my Natsu.

I kept my gaze downcast, both because I was fighting back tears and because it was an act of submission—and these assholes immediately recognized it.

Unlike the last batch, these men all had their eyes still perfectly intact, so they all saw the show that was Queen Lucy of Fairy Tail surrendering herself before a bunch of filthy _men_.

The humiliation was almost too much to bear, as was the fact that I had just _lost_ and there was no way for me to recover from this particular battle.

"I surrender," I said, sniffling as tears fell from my eyes. "Please, I beg you, take me instead. Take me in his place. I will go without a fight, just _please_ let him go!" I put all of my will into those words, praying to Mavis that they would take me in place of Natsu.

"Lucy, no!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Hush, boy!" One of the men jabbed him in the ribs, making him flinch, then directed his words toward me. "You wish to come back to Sabertooth to spare this-this _snack dispenser_?" His tone was full of disgust and disbelief.

"I would lay down my life for him, just please let him go freely!"

I would have, too. If they wanted to kill me right then and there, I would have agreed in an instant if I was sure Natsu's life would be spared in my place.

"NO!" Natsu's voice rang out loudly. "You can't do that to me, Lucy! You can't just sacrifice yourself like that! I won't let you!" He was struggling against the various arms that held him but to no avail. He wouldn't be able to fight them, they were just too powerful.

"Please," I directed my attention on the one who had spoken earlier, "I'll do anything."

He arched an eyebrow.

"A Queen _would_ make a better catch than some puny human," another vampire pointed out.

"Minerva has been _dying_ to get her hands on me!" I put in, ignoring the total irony of that statement. _Dying_ , psh. I would be the one doing the dying tonight, not her.

The first guy nodded seriously. "Yes, that's definitely true… however, we _could_ just take them both."

For a moment I panicked. That was a very real possibility that I somehow hadn't thought of. If they just decided to take me and kill Natsu anyway, all of this would have been for nothing. I would have deserted my coven and gotten the only guy I'd ever truly loved killed.

 _Unless…_

"Wait!" I called out to the one who had first addressed me. "Take me, and I'll agree to be Minerva's prisoner. I'll enter into an Act of Submission. You can't refuse that!"

Nobody said anything for awhile, either because they were deciding on how best to proceed, or because they were that shocked by my words.

"No." This time Natsu's words were barely above a whisper. His hopeless and pleading expression, juxtaposed with the hard, angry scowls of those surrounding us, was enough to make up my mind. There was only one thing left to do, one thing that would ensure they would take me and leave Natsu out of it.

I threw myself at their feet, nose to the ground, palms flat against the earth.

I uttered just two words, "I submit."

* * *

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	29. Chapter 28: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight: Natsu**

My eyes went wide as Lucy fell limp in the man's arms, causing him to release her. She dropped to the ground and stayed there, unmoving, eyes cast downward as if in shame or fear. The man behind her lifted a fist like he was about to attack her while she was down, but then caught the eye of one of the guys holding me and stopped. His brow arched in question.

"I surrender," Lucy whispered, her voice barely audible to my ears. "Please, I beg you, take me instead. Take me in his place. I will go without a fight, just _please_ let him go!"

Her gaze lifted just enough to allow me to glimpse the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks, and the expression of absolute pain that I could see even with only one good eye.

" _I surrender."_

I had to fight back my own tears at her words.

"Lucy, no!" I exclaimed, struggling against the hands that held me, at least until the knife pressed more firmly against my neck.

"Hush boy!" The man to my left jabbed me in the ribs with the back of his knife, then directed his attention back to Lucy. "You wish to come back to Sabertooth to spare this-this _snack dispenser_?"

I scowled at his comment—or tried to, but the expression came out more as a flinch of pain.

"I would lay down my life for him," Lucy declared fiercely, "just please let him go freely!"

" _No_!" I yelled, terrified at the very thought of Lucy going to that place. I had spent three years as Sabertooth's prisoner, there was _no fucking way_ I was going to allow my Luce to endure the sort of torture that I went through, no way I was going to stand silently by and watch as they took her away from me. "You can't do that to me, Lucy! You can't just sacrifice yourself like that! I won't let you!"

 _No. Fucking. Way._

Lucy ignored me, her attention focused on the vamp who had spoken first. "Please, I'll do anything." Her voice cracked at the end, and it was all I could do to not start bawling like a total pussy.

One of the bloodsuckers behind Lucy gave a thoughtful nod. "A Queen _would_ make a better catch than some puny human," he told the other one.

"Minerva has been _dying_ to get her hands on me!" Lucy exclaimed. Her eyes were wild and frantic and full of pain.

"Yes, that's definitely true… however, we _could_ just take them both," the first guy pointed out while tightening his grip on my arm to the point where I nearly cried out from the pain. But no, Lucy was already worried enough about me, I had to stay strong. I squelched the panic that threatened to paralyze me and put on a hard expression.

"Wait!" Lucy suddenly cried out. "Take me and I'll agree to be Minerva's prisoner. I'll enter into an Act of Submission. You can't refuse that!"

I gasped, whatever hard look I'd managed to put on slipped and was replaced by one of complete panic and fear—fear for Lucy. I knew little of what this 'Act of Submission' shit meant, but I did know that her offering it up like she was, was no small thing. This was bad, really fucking bad.

No," I whispered, my voice barely audible in my sudden panic.

She couldn't go through with this, she couldn't go with these bastard bloodsuckers! They would torture her, drive her to the point of near-death until she couldn't take it another moment and begged them to end her life. They would break her, just as they had done to me over and over again. I couldn't let that happen to her, I had to do something!

I opened my mouth to say something, to scream at Lucy or these fuckers or do _something_ , but I never got the chance. Lucy suddenly threw herself to the ground at these vamps feet, her nose just touching the ground, palms planted firmly against the earth. I gasped again. I recognized this position very well, I had seen it many times while at Sabertooth—it was an act of total surrender.

Lucy said, in a voice so low I almost didn't hear her, "I submit."

" _NO_!" I screamed out again, struggling fiercely against the hands that held me, not caring about the sharp knife pressed against my throat. I wouldn't let her go through with this, I would save her as she had saved me. "Luce, get the hell out of here! I'll go with them, you can live!"

She didn't respond to my pleading tone, merely stayed how she was, kneeling before my captors, offering up her life for mine—for a pathetic human.

"We cannot refuse her offer, now," one vamp said after a moment, sounding reluctant and almost _pitying_ like he was doing her a great favor by taking her prisoner.

"I suppose not," the one holding a knife to my throat agreed. The knife loosened slightly. They were going to take her offer, they were going to take my love away from me.

"No! I won't let you, Lucy! I won't let you go!" I continued to struggle, but it was to no avail. No one was paying me any mind by this point. They had a Queen openly surrendering herself at their feet, why would they care about some stupid human?

"Alright, Queen Lucy of Fairy Tail," the man to my right said, "we accept your terms. Your life in exchange for the boy. That is all you will be given. Let the boy go."

As one, the three men holding me let go and I fell onto hands and knees, coughing from the sudden relief to my lungs. When I looked back up, I saw the lot of them leading Lucy away, two holding onto both of her arms so that her feet now dangled two feet off the ground as mine had, and a blindfold covering her eyes.

"Lucy!" I cried out, struggling to my feet.

"No, Natsu." Her voice was a firm command, I felt it deep inside of me, enough so that I hesitated in my steps, stopping where I was. "You have to run now, you have to get as far away from here as you can and never look back. Go, now!"

For a moment, the command rang loudly in my ears, even with her back to me. I felt it in my bones, an unseen force pushing me in the opposite direction. I struggled against it, the effort enough to make me sweat.

"N-No," I stammered out, though my voice came out slowly now, forcefully. "I won't… leave…"

"You will." Her tone firm. "Get the hell out of here, Natsu!"

"Shut up, girl!" One vamp slammed the hilt of his knife against the back of her head. Her body gave a jerk, then went limply in their arms.

"Better listen to your little girly-friend," another vamp sneered over his shoulder at me. "If we come back and find you skulking about, we won't pause to capture you, as well."

I hesitated only a moment, watching those bastards drag Lucy away as tears fell from my eyes.

Then, I ran.

I turned on my heel and began racing in the opposite direction that was Sabertooth's lair and, I realized, away from Fairy Tail as well. I ran hard, even though my muscles protested from being kicked and beaten, and from the small blood loss from Lucy's bite. Still, I ran for a good ten minutes straight, not stopping until the forest cleared and the lights from the town grew dim.

I fell to my knees at the top of a hill, panting and sobbing with both grief and exertion. I couldn't move another step, not in this state. Lucy was with Sabertooth now and I couldn't do anything about it. There was no way I could fight to get her back, not on my own. I was helpless against a coven full of powerful vampires.

Or was I?

I suddenly remembered the fire I had created with my bare fist. If I could somehow recreate that, I could burn every last bloodsucker who dared get in my way. I could fight for my love, and I would win.

With that resolve, I sat up and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Okay, Natsu, time to man up!" I instructed myself. Crying wasn't getting me anywhere, it was time to actually _do_ something—no more cowering in fear that the bloodsucking demons were going to kill me. I had to fight back—for Lucy, for myself, for _us._

I took a deep, steadying breath, then held out a hand, palm up.

"Ignite!" I yelled out, fully expecting a furious flame to appear in my outstretched hand.

Nothing. Not even a puff of smoke.

 _Well, shit._

How the hell had I managed to make fire appear the first time?! I'd never done it before then, and I couldn't even remember _how_ I had managed it at all!

"Fire!" I called out this time, trying to make my voice as commanding as possible as if I could force the flames out. Still, nothing. "Fuck!" I slammed my fist into the ground, feeling dread start to creep back in. If I couldn't figure out how to replicate that fire, I didn't stand a chance against the vampires.

What the hell was I going to do?

"Think, Natsu, think!" I commanded myself. I closed my eyes and went back to ten minutes ago; when I had created the flame and saved Lucy's life.

 _Lucy's stake-shoes, or whatever the hell they were called, went straight through the two vamps hearts. I could tell because they almost instantly fell to the ground at her feet. Her triumphant smile was almost enough to make me smile too._

 _The vamp holding me suddenly stiffened then growled loudly in my ear and gave me a hard kick to the back so that I fell to the ground. The relief my lungs felt now that his hands were no longer around my neck was brief, as bile suddenly rose into my throat, forcing me to lean over and gag into the grass._

 _By the time I could force my eyes back up, I saw the vamp holding Lucy smirk deviously, an expression I'd seen one too many times. Then, his hand began to shoot out toward her chest. I only had seconds, but it felt like time was suddenly running in slow motion. I watched as his hand moved toward Lucy's heart, Lucy's eyes grew wide, then closed entirely, lips trembling slightly, expression contorting into one of fear._

 _I acted without thinking. I leapt to my feet and thrust my hand toward the vampire, thinking about how badly I wished the mother-fucker would just burn in hell._

 _Then, right before my eyes, the guy lit up in flames._

 _He dropped Lucy to the ground and stumbled back, patting at the flames that now covered his entire body, lighting him up like a vampire barbeque. It would have been funny, had I not been confused as all hell and pissed about what these freaks were doing to_ my _Lucy._

 _I fell onto the grass as nausea threatened once more, though I wasn't sure if this came from the horrible smell of burning flesh or the sight of my_ fist on fire. _Seriously, what the hell?_

" _Natsu!" Lucy cried out, drawing my attention back over to her._

" _Lucy," I choked out. Vertigo was starting to set in as the flame I held in my hand began to flicker. Dizziness made me fall onto my hands and when my hand made contact with the ground the flame went out. "I'm sorry," I whispered, then started to fall to my side._

"Hmm." I mused thoughtfully, as the memory faded. That hadn't helped at all. I hadn't done anything special to ignite my fist then, so why wasn't it working now?

I sighed, feeling a wave of despair settling over me. I was never going to rescue her, so what the hell _could_ I do? Lucy had basically commanded that I run for it, run away and never look back, but could I really heed her advice and just abandon her?

I slammed a frustrated fist into the ground. "Gah!" I cried out.

Maybe I wouldn't do anything, maybe I would just stay here, on this hill, until someone finally came to kill me.

"Meow~"

I jumped at the unexpected noise and looked around. "Who said that?" I saw nothing but open air and trees in the distance. I frowned. I must have imagined the sound. Just as I was about to go back to moping,

"Meow ~"

"Where the hell are you?!" I demanded. I stood to my feet and glanced around more. There, hidden among some rocks, was the white tip of an otherwise blue tail.

 _No. Fucking. Way._

I raced over to it and pushed the rocks aside. It mewled pathetically, dark eyes blinking up at me with an expression of pain. The fur was matted and dingy, dirty almost beyond recognition, but I could still make out the faint blue from my memories.

"Happy?" I breathed out in awe. Could it really be him? The friend I'd left behind so many years ago? Could he really be _here_? "Is that you, little buddy?"

"Meow~"

"It _is_ you!" I scooped him up, dirty fur and all, and clutched him to my chest, sobbing into his little head. He felt frail in my arms, even more so than he had when he and I had been starving together in my small hut in the woods. I could feel his bones protruding and each breath he sucked in and out, which was raspy and shuddered each time he exhaled. "Oh, buddy…"

I wondered what he'd been doing this whole time. Surely he'd at least managed to feed himself somewhat, otherwise he'd be dead right now, but clearly, he hadn't been very successful in the matter.

 _Not unlike yourself,_ I realized.

That was true. Before I'd been brought to Lucy's coven, I had been practically in the same state as Happy, maybe even worse.

"I'm sorry I left you, little buddy," I murmured into his blue fur. "I promise I'll never do that again. I'll take care of you from now on."

My gaze shifted to the view before me. It wasn't bad, as far as scenery went. The sun was just peeking over the horizon before me, painting the sky in shades of deep purple and grayish blue. The city below me was quiet and dark—the citizens must have long since gone to sleep. My eyes scanned over the collection of houses with muted interest, not really caring but simply needing something to look at besides the broken friend in my arms.

A large cathedral in the distance caught my eye and forced a memory to the surface. Or rather, lots of memories.

"There's no way," I breathed, not believing what my eyes were really seeing.

I pushed myself to my feet once more and looked over the town more clearly, a little slower this time. The view was the same, unchanging from the last time I had gazed down upon it. This was a town I had watched grow from a tiny village into a bustling city.

"Magnolia."

Lucy's coven was bordering on the city of Magnolia, the very city Igneel had made me swear to come back to one day and save. I still didn't know exactly what he'd meant, or how I was supposed to do that, but I didn't think it was a coincidence that I had somehow ended up right on its border for the last three years.

Then my gaze fell on something that made my blood run cold. There, skirting the Fairy Tail border, were dozens of vampires.

"Oh. Fuck."

There were too many to count, maybe three dozen or five dozen or a hundred, I couldn't tell. I didn't know how many vampires Lucy had in her coven, but it wouldn't even matter if they were all attacked unknowingly. If these vampires, undoubtedly from Sabertooth, started attacking Fairy Tail… they would lose; Lucy's coven would lose, and I couldn't just sit by and watch as that happened.

I tore down the hill, running as fast as I could without slipping and falling or dropping Happy. I didn't really try to be quiet because that wouldn't matter with vamps—they would either hear me or they wouldn't, my hope was that they would just think I was a human from the village and not come after me before I reached Fairy Tail.

It was a lot farther than I'd thought it was; I must have run for awhile before I'd finally stopped. When I reached the treeline I had a momentary sense of panic. How the hell was I even supposed to get back in? And what would I do once I did?

' _Oh, hello, Mr. Vampire Who-Probably-Wants-To-Kill-Me-And-Have-Me-For-Dinner, can you please help me rescue my girlfriend who also happens to be your Queen? Oh, and there are a hundred vampires standing on your border'._

I groaned. No, that wouldn't do. Well, I'd just have to think of something when the time came. If I ever found my way back in alive…

I skirted the border of the trees for a good half an hour before I finally found it. It was half concealed beneath a cluster of bushes, the door made of steel, but painted in camouflage so that it would blend in with the bushes. I almost didn't see it, and I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't already been searching for it.

I glanced around to assess that there weren't any vampires in this immediate area, then pulled the door open and slipped inside, quickly shutting and latching it behind me. Thankfully, Lucy and I had just come through here so the door was still locked from the outside. I made sure to latch it from the inside once I was through, somehow still managing to keep one hand around the cat without falling to my death.

With a breath of relief, I slid down the ladder until my feet hit solid ground again, then rested my forehead against the cool iron rungs. I was breathing heavily, the sound loud even to my ears. My body shook slightly, both from fear and the exertion of all the running, which it wasn't used to after so many years of being locked up in a single room.

"Who the hell are you?"

I spun around at the sound of the voice, eyes going wide. A stern-faced woman stood there with dark scarlet-red hair and a blue-skirt-white-blouse combo that looked like something a private school kid might wear. It did not deflect from the terrifying glower she was sending me, nor the glint from her blood-red eyes.

"I-uh…" Who was I? I had a name, right? Fuck, she was going to kill me, I was a dead man! I was—

"What are you doing here, human?" she demanded.

"Meow~"

Her eyes flicked to the cat in my arms and I swear her gaze sharpened further. "And what's with the blue rat?" She wasn't moving from her spot some twenty-feet away. I wasn't sure whether I should take that as a good sign or a bad one. Maybe she was one of those who liked to play with her food?

"I… came to uh-Lucy!" Right, I'd come to tell them about Lucy.

 _Idiot! Stop talking like a wimp and stand up to this woman!_

She arched an eyebrow at the name. "Lucy?"

I nodded frantically, the action making my head spin a little. "Lucy, your Queen, she's been captured by Sabertooth!"

The woman's face went completely blank, giving nothing away. "Why should I believe you?" she asked in a careful tone.

 _Good question…_

"Wendy!" I blurted, which actually made her flinch slightly. "She'll vouch for me!"

She scowled. "So, you're telling me that you not only know my Queen, but you also know Wendy? How is it that you have come to know two members who never leave the coven walls?"

Clearly, she did not believe a single word I was saying. This was going to be harder than I'd thought.

Taking a deep breath, I finally admitted the truth Lucy, Wendy, and I had been hiding. "I've been living here in secret for almost two months now."

That, she had not been expecting.

Her eyes widened. "That's… not possible. I would have known…" she trailed off and her eyes took on a faraway look.

I wondered what she was seeing then, and if it had anything to do with what I'd just said. Maybe we hadn't been as careful as we'd thought, maybe this woman, and others, knew that Lucy was keeping a human in her quarters but hadn't said and/or done anything about it.

"I still don't believe you about Lucy," she finally said, though the doubt in her expression had lessened greatly.

Then, a new voice spoke up.

"The boy is telling the truth."

* * *

 **A/N** : Alright... a little treat for those of you who were patiently (or impatiently) waiting for some answers regarding the weird-ass age thing. Maybe Natsu can shed some light for you? Or maybe not XD

 **Extra Content Scene** : _Natsu and Lucy Discuss Vampire Age_

I sat against the wall in our room, trying to come to terms with what Wendy had been trying to tell me earlier. Vampire age… it made no sense to me at all.

I turned to where Lucy sat at her desk, scribbling something on papers that I'd thought was her diary, until I "accidentally" caught a name at the top of the page and realized that she was writing letters to her mom. That was all I read, honestly. I didn't need to know what she could possibly be writing to someone who was no longer with us. It wasn't my business. Still, it made me sad to think about all the pain she endured on a daily basis. I could almost understand the feeling, as my father-figure, Igneel, had disappeared from my life too. But unlike in Lucy's mother's case, I still held onto the hope that Igneel was alive out there, somewhere. Until I found proof, and saw it with my own two eyes, I wouldn't let go of that hope.

"So… I know it's not polite to ask a woman's age—"

"So maybe you shouldn't," she cut in mildly without looking up from her letter.

"I know, but I'm just confused about the whole 'vampire age thing'."

She sighed. "What's there to be confused about, Natsu? We age, then we mate, then we stop. The end."

I scowled. Like _that_ made any sense. "Yeah, but Wendy said that for every two years a human ages, a vampire only ages one year. I've been alive for nineteen years… shouldn't you be… like, a little girl right now? Like Wendy?"

She stopped what she was doing and focused her attention on me fully now, turning slightly in her chair to face me. "That's true… in a sense, but the way we calculate years differs from humans. And anyway, do I _look_ like a little girl to you, Natsu?" She rolled her eyes.

I frowned, feeling even more confused now. "The hell does that even mean?"

A small, amused smile touched her lips. "Time flows differently beneath the earth's surface," she told me sagely. "The days are shorter, but the seasons longer. Winter seems to drag on for _ages_." She grimaced at that. I understood why. I remembered how cold it could get below ground in the winters. The cold seemed to seep through and turn everything to ice around me—literally.

I always knew when winter was approaching from the water that dripped onto me daily. The drops would get fewer and farther between until they just sort of stopped altogether. Around the hole or whatever it was, would be a glimmering cover of ice that never really melted until winter finally left. The air would be so cold that I'd shake constantly, so much so that my entire body cramped from being tense for so long. Yukino brought me blankets sometimes, but they always disappeared in the midst of night. I could only assume it was Minerva's doing, though sometimes I'd find Sting or Rufus curled up in a chair with my blanket just to taunt me. Those bastards.

Not that that had anything to do with vampire aging, but it made sense to me how time could feel differently depending on the season.

Sort of.

"So…" I scratched my head, still trying to wrap my head around things. "Vampires technically age slower… but time moves faster below?"

"More or less," she agreed with a half-hearted shrug.

"Then it's basically the same damn thing as human aging!" I accused. This conversation was making me feel really, really stupid.

She laughed. "No, it isn't."

"How many years have passed since I've been down here?"

"Just two months or so." She rolled her eyes. "It hasn't been _that_ long, Natsu." Her tone implied this was obvious.

"Then how many months is that compared to time above ground?"

She opened her mouth, shut it, opened it again. "Uh… that's a great question…"

I facepalmed. "You don't even know, do you?" My tone was flat. I would never understand this crap if _she_ didn't even understand it!

"I… do," she began slowly, "but I don't necessarily know the exact month-to-month ratio."

"In other words, you don't know."

She huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "Do not suggest that I don't know what I'm talking about!"

"But you don't!" I argued.

"It's a complicated question!" she retorted.

"I just wanna know how vamps age, how is that complicated?!"

"Because unless you _are_ one, it's impossible to put into words how the process _feels_."

I rolled my eyes. "I can just picture our kids one day, asking how mommy and daddy age so differently, yet so alike."

"...kids?" she repeated quietly.

I glanced over at her but she had her back to me again. A blush tinted my cheeks when I realized how that must've sounded to her. "I-I mean… _if_ we have any… one day… Not that I expect—"

"Natsu… vampires and humans don't have babies, it's unnatural and unheard of!"

I frowned at the strange note in her voice. "What's the matter, Luce? Why would that be so horrible?"

"It doesn't happen," she whispered. A slight tremble shook her body. "It _can't_ happen."

"Then we have an obvious solution to that problem," I told her.

She glowered over her shoulder at me. Tears made her eyes glisten and made me feel like a jackass for bringing it up at all. "No, Natsu. That's not going to happen, either."

I sighed. "You're being stubborn."

"I'm being realistic," she corrected. "Natsu, think about it… think about what we just spoke of. How are we supposed to have children together when we don't even age at the same rate? What would our child be like?"

"But you just said time moves differently down here, that technically this 'age thing' is just bullshit."

"It's not bullshit." Her tone was quiet once more. "It just won't make sense to a human, I'm sorry."

"Luce…"

She turned a weak smile my way. "Hey, let's not discuss such matters right now, okay? This isn't a night to drown in sadness. We're celebrating, remember?"

I grimaced. "I still don't think this is a good idea."

"You'll love it, Natsu! Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise. I'll protect you, my sweet boy." She winked. I scowled.

"Not funny."

She giggled. "Come on, let's finish getting ready. We have to get going."

"Whatever you say, Luce."

* * *

 **A/N** : Alright, there you have it! A whole extra three pages just for you. If you can't tell from the context, this takes place right before Lucy takes Natsu to the surface to that nightclub. So basically right before s**t hit the fan.

 **A/N 2** : My beta-reader informed me that this was an evil, evil thing to do... Or rather, the past several chapter cliffhangers have been evil. Gosh, what twist of fate would allow so many horrible cliffhangers in one story? *wink* I know, I know, you all want to murder me now, right? Can anyone guess WHO just showed up? Think hard, you can do it! Oh, and who's happy that... well, Happy is back? I know some of you were asking about him after one of Natsu's chapters a few weeks ago. Here he is! Poor guy, though... What do you guys think will happen next in our tale? Give me some theories! I'm super curious what you're all thinking!

 **Guest** , Hello, Newbie! Thank you so much for giving my story a read, I really appreciate the support!

 **sassykitten1701** , I'm sorry! *Sobs* Don't be sad!

 **FairyTailxFanGirl** , Lmao, everything can be solved by running in fire blazing! Natsu style: act first, think... almost never XD

 **NekoSkittles** , Your theories are always quite fascinating XD And hey, you were right about Natsu going back to Fairy Tail for help, so who know what else you're right about!

 **FairyRains** , Great question! She doesn't have any automatic power over Fairy Tail coven, but she can try to overpower them by force now, if she so desires.

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	30. Chapter 29: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine: Lucy**

 _It's Tuesday night—I can just make out the scent of the sun dipping into the horizon from my bedroom as I lie there in bed. Today is the day my mommy is going to take me to our special place—the throne room. Well, the room right next to it with all the pretty dresses and crowns. Only me and my mommy are allowed in this room because she is the Queen and I am her princess._

 _I don't bother changing out of my pajamas because me and Mommy are just going to go play dress up, so it doesn't matter what I wear._

 _I slip from the bed and race out of my bedroom toward the room my parents share. I hope my daddy is already gone because he's a big meanie in the morning and I want this day to be special for just me and Mommy._

 _I push open the door to my parents' room and slip inside, letting the door close softly behind me. It's still dark inside, but that doesn't really surprise me too much—it's still early._

" _Mommy?" I whisper, making my way over to the shape curled up under the covers. I pull myself up onto the bed, grateful when I see only one shape hidden there and sit beside her. "Mommy, it's our special day!" I say, pulling the blanket back away from her face._

 _I grin inside the little burrow at her but she barely blinks back at me. My smile doesn't fall as I pull the covers back and slip in beside her, resting my head on her arm and touching her soft face lightly with my fingers._

 _My mommy is really beautiful. I wish it were just her and I. I hate my daddy. He's always mean to me! I don't want him to live with us anymore. He doesn't even love me, only Mommy does._

" _My Luce," my mother's voice, soft and angelic and full of love. Her arms go around me, pulling me against her body, which I only just notice is burning with fever._

" _What's wrong, Mommy?"I ask. "Are you still sick? Do you need soup? You always make me soup when I'm sick! I don't really like soup, though, especially the kind with all the carrots and those little green things." I wrinkle my nose at the thought and Mommy laughs softly._

 _She buries her face in my hair and sniffles like she's crying. "Sweet Lucy… don't ever change, my baby."_

" _What do you mean, Mommy?" I ask, confused. She is so hot, I'm starting to sweat under the mounds of covers around us._

" _Lucy!"_

 _I flinch at the barking voice that could only come from my father. Tears spring to my eyes and I burrow into my mommy, hoping to become invisible or disappear._

" _Jude," Mommy whispers, her voice coming out small and hoarse._

" _Lucy, what are you doing in here?" my father demands, roughly pulling the covers off of us and making us both shiver at the sudden cold. "Your mother is sick, get out of here and go play with your dolls."_

" _But-Daddy—"_

" _No buts, Lucy! Get the hell out of here. Leave your mother alone."_

 _He grabs my arm roughly and forcibly pulls me away from her, then tosses me across the room so hard I land with a cry of pain._

" _You're mean!" I scream at him, then turn and run as fast as I can out the door and down the hall._

 _I don't know where I'm going until I get there. I'm standing in front of a familiar door, breath heaving from the run across the coven, and beat my fists against it._

 _It opens a moment later to reveal a small, black-haired boy, eyes wide with surprise. "Lucy-oof!"_

 _I throw my arms around his neck, sobbing loudly._

" _What's wrong?" he asks, awkwardly patting me on the back._

" _My daddy is a-is a butthead!" I cry into his chest. "He's a giant butt!"_

" _What did he do now?"_

 _Gray leads me into the room and softly closes the door behind us._

" _He won't let me see my mommy!"_

" _Is she still sick?" he asks._

" _She's super hot," I admit, "but that doesn't mean I can't lay with her! I just want to be with her." Now I'm pouting but I don't care. My mommy has been sick for awhile now and so far no one has been able to find a cure. No one even knows what is wrong with her—vampires don't get sick! Especially vampire Queens._

 _Gray pulls back and gives me a small smile. "You can live with me if you want," he tells me._

" _Really?" I ask. "Oh, thank you! I've always wanted a brother!" I throw my arms around him again._

 _He pushes me back. "Okay, but no more hugging."_

 _I pout and he laughs._

" _Come on," he says, "I want to show you something."_

…

 _It's my fifteenth birthday, and I'm in the fitting room getting measured and sized for my newest gown, which will undoubtedly be some frilly concoction from hell that I'll absolutely detest. Thankfully, though, I'll only be forced to wear it for a few hours during my mandatory party—also from hell._

" _Alright, Princess," one woman, who always helps measure and dress me for occasions such as these, says. She has short pink hair and always wears a maid's uniform, which I've always thought was rather strange. "You're all set."_

" _Thanks, Virgo," I reply, stepping off the stool in my underwear and bra, shivering slightly._

" _You're welcome, Princess. Would you like to punish me now?" she asks, tone serious._

 _I roll my eyes. I'm never really sure if she's actually being serious or if she's trying to get someone to do something just so she has an excuse to fight back. Either way, I ignore the offer and turn to slip back into my jeans and t-shirt._

" _I think you're going to look beautiful," she whispers a moment later._

 _I turn back to her with a smile. "Thank you."_

 _After that's all done, I make my way back to the Queen's quarters to ask my mother to help me with my hair because no one does hair as well as my mother. I feel happy, not because it's my birthday, but because my mother has been feeling a little better lately. She no longer stays in bed, sick and exhausted. She comes out of her room and takes care of her Queenly duties, though lately she's been pulling me along with her, showing me all that comes with being a Queen so that one day I'll be able to take over for her. It all seems like a lot of work to me and I'd honestly rather do anything else, but Mother and Father insist I take the throne once it is time._

" _Mom?" I knock softly on her bedroom door, then push it open and slip inside._

 _Mother is lying in bed, her back to me, buried in the blankets she always keeps piled on the bed. There are at least six of them at all times._

 _I grin and skip over to the bed, jumping onto it like I used to do when I was young. "Guess what day it is?" I sing, grinning as I wait for her to turn over and tell me 'happy birthday'._

 _Only, she doesn't turn over and she doesn't tell me anything. She stays completely still._

 _My whole body turns to ice, a frozen, unmovable block._

" _Mommy?" My voice cracks. I reach out a hand, slowly, toward her. It shakes violently and I have to keep pulling it back toward me, too afraid to actually lay a hand on her and confirm what I already know. Tears blur my vision and stream down my face. "Mommy, please, it's my birthday. Wake up!"_

 _Nothing._

 _Finally, I force my hand to close the distance between us and grab hold of her shoulder. I pull her body toward me, then let out a scream of surprise and horror and utter terror._

" _NO!"_

 _Her eyes are open, but there is no longer any color to them. Her skin, once white, is now a sickly grayish color, with strange, green tendrils running along her arms and face and neck. The worst part, however, is none of these things. The worst part… is the expression that has frozen on her face, a look of complete terror._

 _My stomach churns and I have to turn away to vomit off the side of the bed._

 _I sob violently at the side of the bed, unable to leave, but also unwilling to look back at my dead mother._

Dead. My mother is dead.

 _The thought sends a fresh wave of nausea through me and I have to lean back over the side of the bed._

 _This continues for an immeasurable amount of time. I sob, throw up, then finally fall as still and silent as my mother. My vision turns black, even though my eyes are open. I don't see, feel, think or move. I just am._

 _I don't know how long I stay like that before someone finally comes and finds me there. I hear voices and chaos but I can't make out the sounds, it's all just noise—unrecognizable words._

 _I barely feel the hands that wrap around my body and pull me from the bed. I do not struggle against them as they lift me into their arms and take me out of the room. I don't see the turns as I'm carried to some unknown place._

 _A_ shhh _sound comes, like water from a faucet, then a cool cloth is pressed against my face, wiping away vomit and tears._

" _Geez, Lucy," he says, still wiping the cloth over my face._

He _says;_ him. _I know this voice, know the feel of these hands on my face and arms. I can feel his sympathy pouring off of him in waves, an almost physical feeling._

" _Lucy, wake up," he says._

 _What? I am awake, aren't I? Just leave me alone, I don't want to feel anything…_

"Lucy! Wake up!"

This time, the voice broke through my subconscious and forced me awake with a jerk that sent a jolt straight through to my heart. It gave a pitiful pump, then fell silent once more. The feeling was more painful than anything, as was the sudden throbbing pain to my chest and ribs, like I'd been beat, or thrown around.

 _Right, I was just in a vampire battle against a bunch of evil bastards._

I gasped and tried to open my eyes, but a cloth had been tied securely around them, concealing my view. Likewise, my legs and arms had both been bound with heavy chains.

"Where am I?" I tried to say, but a gag made my words come out muffled. Fear began to creep inside me and I felt tears start to fall down my cheeks once more.

"Lucy."

That voice… I knew that voice.

The gag pulled free from my mouth, but the cloth covering my eyes remained.

"Come on, Lucy!" he said.

My body froze. I did know that voice, I'd know that voice anywhere, it was one I had heard many times throughout the years.

"Gray," I spluttered through a choking sob. "What are you doing here?" Relief, but also fear, flooded through me. Relief that I wasn't alone; fear that my best friend was also imprisoned here and I hadn't even known. How long had he been here? When had Minerva gotten to him too?

"I-I'm sorry, Lucy, this is all my fault." His voice cracked at the end and I could clearly hear tears in the words.

 _All my fault… What?_

 _Wait. No…_

"What the hell did you do, Gray?" I demanded, putting as much force into the words as I could, even though I felt weak and useless and powerless. I didn't feel like a Queen at all—I was just a girl.

"I'm so sorry!" he cried out again. "You have to forgive me! I had to do it, Lucy, I had to!"

"What did you _do_?!" I shrieked. I didn't know if I was afraid or anxious or pissed as hell, but the emotions were all raging inside of me and making my body shake. Relief? Fear? Those emotions were gone now. I had a bad feeling that I knew exactly how Gray had ended up in this place.

"I have betrayed my Queen…" Gray whispered. I couldn't see him, but I could tell by his muffled tone and the direction of his voice that he was kneeling before me, face to the ground. "It was my fault. I told Minerva you would be outside of the coven, I told her where you would be and who you would be with."

I gasped in surprise and horror. "H-How did you even know about any of that?!"

"...I'm sorry," he whispered. "I've been spying on you—for her. She made me do it, Lucy! She forced me to spy for her! You have to know that I would never betray you like this on my own."

 _Betrayal. Gray has betrayed me—my brother. The one person I trusted with my secrets and my life._

"What. Did. You. Do?" My voice was cold and scary, I could tell by the shudder that went through Gray's body, obvious to me even without the use of my sight.

"Minerva… she took Juvia, abducted her and threatened to kill her if I didn't help her spy on you. I couldn't… I couldn't let that happen." His voice cracked with a sob.

 _So he did lay Claim on her…_

It made sense that he would feel so strongly toward her, even stronger than he did for his Queen—his sister and best friend. Still… that didn't make the betrayal hurt any less.

"I spied on you, found out that you had that-that _human_ in your room, and that you had involved Wendy in your secret!"

"Gray, I swear to Mavis," I cut him off, voice full of rage, "if you told her anything about Wendy, I will rip your fucking head off with my bare teeth."

"I didn't, I swear!" he exclaimed. "You know I would never do that! I would never put her in danger like that."

I scoffed. "Ha! I thought you would be the one person who would never betray _me_ , yet here we are."

"I didn't tell anyone about Wendy, I swear," he reiterated.

Something about his tone made me believe him, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to rip his head off anyway.

"How could you do this to me, Gray?" I demanded, choking back a sob. I still couldn't believe that this was true. This had to be some trick or a dream! I was still dreaming, and when I woke up Gray would be gone. _Gray_ had betrayed me? If I'd ever been asked who in my coven was most likely to do something so horrid, I would have said Laxus or Midnight, but _never_ would I have believed that Gray would do such a thing.

"I'm sorry… but you know how strong a bond between mated pairs is and…I had to save them. I didn't have a choice."

A chill ran through me. " _Them_?" I repeated.

"Juvia is pregnant," he explained. "I will never be able to apologize enough for this betrayal," he added. "If you wish to kill me… I won't fight you, but you know I couldn't sit back and let my mate get killed when there was a way for me to save her."

I did know, it was exactly why I was here in the first place. It wasn't even really Gray's fault that I was in this situation—it was mine. If I hadn't brought Natsu back to my room that day; if I hadn't fallen in love with him; if I hadn't decided to let him go and brought him out of the coven; if I hadn't surrendered my own life for his…I wouldn't be here. This was all my fault.

I burst into tears.

I cried because I was a complete failure. I failed my mother and she'd died because of it; I failed Wendy by bringing her into this whole mess; I failed Natsu by simply loving him, and lastly, I'd failed my entire coven. I was a horrible person.

"Lucy…" Gray reached out for me, his hand on my arm.

"Don't fucking touch me!" I shrieked at him, pulling away from his hand. I didn't need that pity, not from someone who had betrayed me in the worst possible way. It was true that I was a complete failure, but Gray had nearly gotten Nasu killed just to save his own mate. That wasn't okay with me.

"Oh, stop your pathetic blubbering!"

I froze at the familiar voice. I could _feel_ the evilness radiating off of her being like something tangible. It made the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

"Minerva," I growled.

"Poor, pitiful little girl," she mused almost thoughtfully, her voice moving with her as she walked around me. I braced myself, waiting for a blow to come. "Not so tough now, are you, Lucy?" She laughed a bitter laugh that had me cringing.

"Fuck you," I spat.

"No thanks, I'd rather fuck that pretty little mate of yours."

"Don't you touch him!" I screamed at her.

A hard boot to the face shut me up. I swallowed back blood.

"I'll do as I wish, and there's nothing you can do about!"

"The only reason I agreed to this was so your minions would let Natsu go," I whispered, fighting back more tears.

She let out a loud, barking laugh. "Just because those idiots made a deal with you, doesn't mean _I_ will agree to it. Honestly, Lucy, you should have known better. You should have just let us take the boy, then you could be back safely with your pathetic excuse for a coven. All of this could have been avoided."

I growled, but Minerva kicked me again, this time in the ribs. I cried out, then bit my lip to stay silent.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her!" Gray exclaimed.

"I changed my mind," Minerva shot back, tone casual as if torturing me had come as an afterthought.

"You're sick," I spat. "You'll never get Natsu back. I told him to run and never come back here. He's safe."

"Oh?" she asked, amusement now coloring her tone. "I think we will be seeing that boy again. After all, you can't keep a dog from its master for long."

* * *

 **A/N:** So... are we surprised that Gray betrayed her? I hope that wasn't the obvious choice. I wanted to use someone else, but... it had to be Gray. It was the only option in this case. Sorry, guys! Don't hate me too much!

I love how every one of you chose Makarov, haha. Next week you will see if you were all correct!

 **MnMAllyn** , That... is a good question! I suppose I can answer that since this chapter is done... Laxus isn't really a conniving asshole. Well, he IS an ass, but he has good intentions. He'd never betray Lucy. You'll learn more about that in... Chapter 37? OR 36..., I don't remember. Somewhere up there! But nah, he's not a total douche!

 **Compucles** , Haha, sorry XD It was more for fun than anything else.

 **turtle3334** , Hahaha, I know the feeling well. I read a lot of fanfiction myself and cliffhangers drive me nuts, but at the same time I'm always impressed. But mostly I just want to cry and scream, so I feel your pain!

 **Neko Lucy-Chan** , You're back! Welcome~! So... still want a Gray chapter after this? XD Actually... that's a great idea. I think I'll work on that whether you want one or not lol. It'll clear things up on WHY and HOW. Good suggestion! I've never seen Star Wars!

Percy Jackson, hahaha. He's not like that, but... Actually, I'll shut up right there XD "The wrath of Le Neko". I LOL'd so much!

Well... I don't think Erza is the type to just casually kill someone without cause, you know? She's not crazy like Laxus or Midnight or someone impulsive like that. She typically asks questions first and then acts accordingly. The next chapter should help explain a bit more, though!

I hope school is going well for you, Neko! Are you in high school or college, or...?

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	31. Chapter 30: Erza

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Thirty: Erza**

"The boy is telling the truth."

Erza turned toward the familiar voice that had spoken with a scowl already set in place.

He stepped around the corner, arms folded casually across his chest as he leaned against the wall, smirking at her. His dark red hair fell limply and was slightly damp, the faint scent of lingering shampoo indicating that he'd had a shower recently.

"Are you certain?" She asked, turning back to glower at the human boy. She was not convinced that this human was telling her the truth, but… there _was_ something about him, something that prodded at a memory in the back of her mind, one she couldn't quite access.

"Have I ever been wrong before?" Erik asked with a roll of the eye. "There's more, though." he focused his gaze on the boy now. "Tell us, puny human, what else is it you came down here for? What is it that made you risk your pathetic human life to infiltrate the enemy's lair?"

Erza glowered at the boy. He squirmed under her look, looking uncomfortable but not exactly afraid.

 _Interesting,_ she thought.

She watched as a series of emotions played across his face: discomfort, apprehension, determination, decision.

He took a deep breath, then let the words out in a rush. "Sabertooth vampires are surrounding the Fairy Tail border and I don't know how many there are but from what I saw there are dozens maybe even a hundred or more and I really need someone to help me get Luce back because I love her but I can't do it on my own because I'm just a human up against a coven full of bloodsucking freaks and oh—" He stopped abruptly, face taking on a pinkish tint she hadn't seen on anyone in years.

Erza arched an eyebrow. "Bloodsucking freaks?"

"You _love_ Queen Lucy?" Erik added, looking disgusted at the idea.

"Uh, yeah?" The boy shrugged.

 _He loves Lucy… but why? How?_

Erza breathed in deeply, taking in the human's scent. She had to force herself not to react, to keep her expression as blank and indifferent as possible.

 _This is impossible… His scent, it matches Queen Lucy's almost perfectly. I can detect his scent underneath, but it is hers that overpowers. Though their scents are so entwined with one another, it is a barely perceptible distinction._

"What is your name, boy?" Erza asked.

"Natsu," he answered at once.

 _Natsu…_

She couldn't recall Lucy ever mentioning a Natsu, though if what he was saying was truth, then Lucy had most likely been hiding him from the rest of the coven.

 _Why didn't I notice anything amiss…_

"I think you noticed more than you remember," Erik said, still in that casual tone.

Erza scowled. She hated when he did that.

 _Stay out of my head,_ she snapped at him, then heard him chuckle under his breath.

Natsu blinked at them in confusion, gaze shifting between them as if trying to figure out what was going on. Poor kid, he had no idea…

Erza sighed in exasperation. Of course, it was that simple.

 _Erza sat at her usual spot, just to the right of where Queen Lucy would sit. It was a place she had earned based on years of loyalty, not just since Lucy had become their coven Queen, but long before that. She had grown up alongside Lucy, had been a good friend to her for many years. Erza took loyalty very seriously, which was the main reason, Lucy had once told her, that she'd been chosen to be the Queen's righthand advisor._

 _They were all seated silently around the table, awaiting the entrance of their darling Queen, who always seemed to run at least fifteen minutes late to every occasion. It was amusing, at least to Erza, who'd spent years dealing with the girl's perpetual lateness._

 _When Lucy finally walked in, she half stumbled into her chair, tiara sitting lopsided atop her golden head. Erza almost smirked, except for the strange scent pouring off of Lucy. It was nearly imperceptible as it was so intertwined with hers, but it was there—a ghost of a scent._

 _Erza almost opened her mouth to say something, to confront the girl about this new scent, but then she caught Erik's eye across the table. He gave a barely perceptible shake of his head, then turned his attention back to Lucy as if nothing at all had happened._

 _Erza turned, noting the slightest pinkish coloring to the Queen's skin, which was only noticeable because she knew Lucy so well. However, she had never in her lifetime, seen any vampire with skin of this coloring. It wasn't pale, but it wasn't the tan of a human. It was closer to that of a baby's, but still not quite the same._

"We need to talk," Erza commanded the boy, once the memory had faded.

"Wait!"

A new voice cut in from the hallway behind Erik, a smaller, squeakier voice. Erza didn't need to turn to know whom the voice belonged to.

"Wendy, please go back to your room."

"No!" The girl flashed down the hall and threw her arms around the human's back, sobbing into his chest. He blinked, looking startled, but then awkwardly patted the girl's head.

"Wendy," he murmured softly, "what are you doing here?"

"I heard you come back inside," she wept into his shirt. "I heard you talking with Erza and Erik, I was afraid!"

"Don't worry about me, kid." He smiled fondly down at her. "I'll be just fine."

Erza frowned. This interaction… it was obvious these two had spent some significant time together. This boy, he must have been telling her the truth.

"We need to talk," Erza repeated, louder now, more fiercely.

"Please don't kill him!" Wendy sobbed, clutching onto him. "Lucy loves him! _I_ love him!"

"Wendy!" Erza gasped in surprise. "Y-You cannot be serious."

"Erza!" Wendy exclaimed. "Lucy and Natsu are soulmates! You can't kill him!"

That gave everyone pause.

"That, I did not see coming," Erik said after a moment.

 _I can't believe it,_ Erza thought, _and yet, at the same time, it makes perfect sense. The mingling scents, the sameness, the fact that no one was able to detect his scent on her, when clearly they had been together for awhile._

"Soulmates," Erza repeated, slowly as if trying to wrap her mind around the idea. Her gaze fell back on Natsu, who stood perfectly still, one arm wrapped around Wendy in an almost protective way. Was he trying to protect her… from _them_? That was perhaps the strangest thing she had seen tonight.

"Natsu," Wendy looked up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Where is Lucy? I had a bad feeling that something terrible happened to her."

Natsu's expression remained blank, but Erza saw the smallest twitch in his eye, like he was forcing back the pain. "Lucy will be just fine," he promised. "I told you I'd protect her, didn't I?" He forced a smile onto his lips, one that was clearly fake.

Wendy's face fell, and tears spilled silently down her cheeks. "Where is she?" she repeated, voice quavering.

Natsu sighed resolutely. "She'll be fine, Wends. I'll bring her back to you, I swear it."

Wendy choked on another sob and buried her face back in his chest.

 _Well, we can't kill him now,_ Erza thought bitterly, watching the little girl cling to him. Wendy didn't take to a lot of people. She loved freely, sure, but she didn't trust many people. Lucy first and foremost, then Erza and Jellal, Gray, and Mira. That was all. Now, she had formed some sort of attachment with this human boy as well. Erza didn't know if this was a good thing or not, but she did know that, for the time being, she couldn't tear this boy away from this girl—this child —who had already lost everything and everyone.

"You're right," Erik agreed in response to her thoughts. "What should we do now?"

"We can go back to Queen Lucy's place!" Wendy exclaimed. "I have a key."

"Why do you—never mind." It wasn't worth the argument. "That's a fine idea, Wendy. But let's hurry, we do not wish to run into anyone else. Erik,"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll scout the way, Red." Erik rolled his eyes, then turned around the corner without another word.

"Come on, Natsu." Wendy smiled up at the boy, then gripped his hand and pulled him behind her. Erza heard him gulp as the pair passed by her, but otherwise he gave no reaction.

 _How curious,_ she thought, as she followed behind them all. _What exactly has this boy been doing since arriving at this coven?_

Erik's ears twitched, then he snorted in amusement.

Erza glared and decided she'd rather not know what he'd heard. Sometimes it was better to just stay ignorant.

Erik led the foursome across the coven, past multiple hallways, stopping at every turn to listen for nearby voices, until finally they reached the expansive chambers that belonged to the Fairy Tail Queen.

Wendy took out a shiny gold key and turned it in the lock before stepping back to let everyone go through.

Erza frowned at the girl, at the casual way she stepped inside and threw herself into a armchair, like she had been here many times, like this was her home.

Erza opted to stand, even after watching Natsu throw himself onto the bed and cross his arms behind his head, and Erik, who simply sat on the floor and leaned against the wall.

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Natsu expectantly. "Tell us everything, human, and we may allow you to live."

It was a farce, of course. She wouldn't kill this boy, not when he clearly had a strong connection with both Lucy and young Wendy, but she could threaten nonetheless.

She kept her face stern, though, so he wouldn't see through her lie. She needed him to fear her, to know who was boss.

The boy, Natsu, didn't look as frightened as he should have, in Erza's opinion, but he did have the grace to sit up and look somewhat serious.

"Well, it all started when I was captured by Sabertooth…"

He then proceeded to tell them a story of how Minerva had abducted him and tortured him for three years before her father had found out and tried to kill him. He told them about the girl who took mercy on him and let him go, and how Lucy had found him on the brink of death. He told them how he'd been a prisoner to Lucy for a while, but he'd never really feared her, there was always this weird connection he felt with her. He told them how they'd fallen in love and how Lucy had explained that they were soulmates. He explained briefly how Wendy had come to know about his being there and why she didn't tell anyone that she knew Lucy's secret.

Then, he told them about the battle he and Lucy had just waged on the surface.

"...and Lucy offered her life to them in order to save mine." Natsu's expression had grown angry as soon as he started to recount the fight. "I begged her not to, I would have gone in her place, you have to believe me! I would never have let them take her if I could have done anything about it."

"We believe you, Natsu," Wendy assured him.

"That is quite an, ehem, _interesting_ story," Erik commented a moment later. "Especially the parts you left out." He smirked.

Natsu blushed. "What? I told you everything!"

Erik shook his head. "You left out a few key details."

Erza glowered over at him. "If you don't tell us everything you know, I will personally hand deliver you back to Sabertooth's Queen."

Natsu shuddered.

Erik laughed. "I'm just messing with you, Red. Trust me, you don't want to know what _explicit_ details this boy has left out." His smirk grew.

"What do you—" Erza suddenly stopped and took a slow look around the room, then looked back at Natsu and his casual attitude atop the Queen's bed.

If Erza could blush she would have gone scarlet.

"Uh… right, we don't need _every_ detail." She coughed uncomfortably. "That was sufficient for now. However, that doesn't really help us in regards to getting her back."

"Hm. I suppose that would be our only option," Erik agreed, nodding to whatever Erza had just been thinking.

Natsu and Wendy exchanged bemused glances.

"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked.

Erza thought for a moment, unsure if she really wanted to go through with this or not. Still, as Erik had said, this was their only option at the time.

"I'm taking you to the Council."


	32. Chapter 31: Lucy

**A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry this chapter is so late! I was busy all day and haven't had time to post. Also, sorry for not responding to reviews last week. I've had some serious life changes going on recently (to include moving to a new town) so it's been hectic. I didn't have the time to respond, but I will do my best to respond to last week's and this week's reviews now!**

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Thirty-One: Lucy**

" _After all, you can't keep a dog from its master for long."_

I shuddered as the words echoed inside of my head as if on an endless loop. Minerva was undoubtedly correct in that assumption; I was certain Natsu would try to be the hero and rescue me, I just hoped he wouldn't be that stupid. He had to know how dangerous and impossible such a mission would be for him. There was no saving me from this situation and I could only pray to Mavis that he would be long gone by now. That was my hope—the only thing that kept me going.

Minerva had left once she was done with me, so that left just Gray and I here alone. Ordinarily, I would have been relieved to have Gray at my side in a situation such as this, but this was no ordinary situation. Gray had betrayed my trust and loyalty and in doing so nearly got both myself and the one I loved killed. That was unforgivable. At the same time, I could understand where his motives came from and was having a hard time ignoring him. He'd always been like a brother to me; it was hard to forget that.

I sat in the farthest corner from Gray, face pressed against the hard stone wall there and trying to come up with a plan of action. I couldn't very well just stay here like this, not when they were going against their word and searching for Natsu. I had to do something; I couldn't let them find him.

Lucy—"

"Don't," I warned. "I don't want to hear it right now, Gray."

"I know you'll never forgive me," he went on, ignoring my warning.

"That's for damn sure," I muttered.

"But you have to believe me when I tell you that it was something I had to do!" He shuffled on the ground behind me, then let out a grunt of either pain or annoyance. "I had to protect my mate and our child. I would have never betrayed you otherwise, you know that!"

Some might argue that one's loyalty must be first and foremost to their Queen and secondly to their mate and child, but… that was never how I'd ruled. I never wanted to be the type of Queen who demanded complete submission of her subjects, even at the cost of someone they loved. Sometimes, like in the case of Laxus who was an perpetual asshole, it was necessary. In most cases, however, it was better to be fair than to force submission. Loyalty given out of fear was brittle loyalty. Forced submission was akin to bending a branch, one wrong move and your subjects snapped. They may be forced to remain under the Queen's command, but it was the worst kind of fealty, fraught with resentment and anger.

Thinking about Gray's betrayal now made me question the way I'd been ruling my coven these last few years. I was only fifteen when I'd been all but forced to take the crown, but that wasn't an excuse for my actions. I'd agreed to become coven Queen, and with that came responsibilities and duties. I couldn't blame Gray for my lenience with my own coven.

"Lucy," Gray tried again, his voice firm now—demanding.

I didn't turn around, I didn't yell. "What, Gray?" My voice was tired, strained. It wasn't the haughty tone I reserved for Laxus, but it lacked the warmth of trust we used to share.

"I am so, _so_ sorry that I broke your trust—"

"You know what?" This time I did turn around and snap at him. "I don't even care. You betrayed one to save another, I get it, okay? I don't fucking _care_. You did it to save your mate, and now I have to save mine, thanks to your poor choices."

His face was so full of pain and regret that I felt my own face soften just slightly.

I sighed and closed my eyes. Looking at him was going to either make me feel guilty or make me sick, I wasn't sure which was more likely at this point.

"Just shut up, Gray, alright?" I beseeched quietly. "Just give me some time. I don't know if I can ever forgive you."

He didn't respond, which I took as a sign that he was actually going to listen to me.

I leaned against the wall beside me, suddenly feeling exhausted. If I was going to be here for awhile, I figured I may as well sleep. There wasn't anything I could do about my current situation; I had offered my life in place of Natsu's and now I had to deal with the consequences. That didn't mean I wasn't going to fight against them, not after Minerva all but admitted that she was going back on her word. She would hunt Natsu down until her final breath…

I awoke a while later with my head cradled on Gray's lap. I flashed away from him, fangs bared, growling.

He held up his hands in defense. "Sorry, you looked uncomfortable sitting against the hard wall."

"I don't need your help," I snarled at him, "and I don't want it."

I stood then and started pacing across the floor, arms folded tightly around my chest, almost protectively. My head hurt. I couldn't decide what I should feel anymore, or who I should feel worse for: Natsu was all alone now, left to wander the forest; Gray was stuck in a prison cell, away from his home, his mate, and mourning a child he'd never know. I had no idea where Juvia was, or what she could possibly be going through, but I thought I might feel worst of all for her—an innocent with no idea why she was being trapped in a place she'd never known, torn away from her mate for seemingly no reason, forced to grow a baby inside of her all alone.

Then, there was the rest of my coven, everyone whom I'd just willingly left behind, abandoned to fend for themselves—a coven without a ruler. What would they do when they realized that I wasn't there? How long would it take for them to find out? Would they erupt into chaos? Would they even care? Maybe they would be happy that I wasn't there anymore…

 _No_.

I couldn't think like that. My coven cared about me and were supportive and encouraging; they respected me as a monarch and followed me dutifully. They would care that I had disappeared, but with as little time as I had been spending around the coven lately, I had no way of knowing _when_ they would notice.

 _Wendy…_

I gasped at the realization. Yes, Wendy would notice! She knew I had gone to the surface; she would tell them and they would come after me; they would save me!

No, I had done this to myself. I had willingly surrendered myself to this fate. It wasn't fair to hope for rescue now. I could get myself out of here. I would save myself…and Gray while I was at it. Not for him, but for his unborn baby. He had betrayed _me_ , sure, but he had done it to save his baby. That took tremendous strength and courage. I was still hurt and angry, but should I expect anything less from a member of Fairy Tail coven?

 _Sacrifice—there's always a price._

…

A few hours later, I was revisited by my worst nightmare: the Queen Bitch herself.

She entered our cell with a regal air about her like she was addressing a crowd of subjects and not two lowly prisoners. She wore a sleeveless silk gown of pale purple and a darker amethyst royal robe over that. Atop her head sat an enormous crown of gold with dozens of different colored jewels decorating the surface. It was over-the-top and just ridiculous—laughable even.

I arched an eyebrow at her from where I sat against the far wall. Her towering silver stilettos clacked loudly against the concrete floor as she walked toward me. "Nice look," I commented dryly. "Off to the circus?"

She narrowed her eyes and stopped halfway into the room. The reds in her eyes nearly swallowed the green beneath them as her gaze shifted between me and Gray who kept his expression neutral and face averted slightly, like he couldn't even stand the sight of her. I didn't blame him for that, not after what she'd done to him.

I ignored the guilt that pushed against my mind as I turned my gaze back to the beast in blue.

"Your little human lover thought he was funny too," Minerva replied after a pause. "Would you like to see what I thought of his humor?"

That was a loaded question if I'd ever heard one, but I was feeling ballsy that day so of course I had to open my big mouth and provoke her further. Perhaps I had spent too much time around Natsu and his inability to take anything seriously, or maybe I was just over it all.

"What?" I asked with over-the-top sarcasm. "Are we going to braid each other's hair now and sing _Vampire Blues_?"

That was the song Natsu had first sang out in the shower the first day I allowed him that bit of freedom. He wasn't a terrible singer, but he wasn't very good either. Mostly he was overly obnoxious and loud, which I knew was a purposeful act on his part to annoy the hell out of me. Maybe I'd take a page from his book and sing to Minerva just to see how she liked it.

Or maybe not.

As soon as the words were out of my mouth I saw it, the flash of rage that turned her eyes to gleaming red. Her teeth bared half a second before she lunged forward and attacked me, pinning me against the wall and biting down hard on my neck.

I cried out as an uncomfortable sort of pain filled me. It wasn't the same when a vampire bit another vampire, versus when one bit a human, it wouldn't hurt us the way it would Natsu, but it came as more of a shock to my senses. _Never_ had I been bitten before—it wasn't allowed for anyone to bite a Queen unless it was her mate. Minerva definitely wasn't my mate, but she was a Queen and right now I was her subject, like it or not.

She tore into my skin roughly just to cause me pain and discomfort. I gritted my teeth against it and pinched my eyes shut as she drank.

 _That bitch,_ I thought angrily.

I had read that the blood of a Queen—a true heir to the throne—was richer and sweeter than that of ordinary vampires; a succulent treat for those worthy enough to taste. Of course, I had no firsthand experience with this myself, but seeing Minerva's face as she pulled back from my neck—her look of absolute contentment and slightly dazed expression—told me all I needed to know.

I ground my teeth in a silent groan, eyes shooting daggers at her as she pushed to her feet, dusted off her dress, and straightened her crown. She looked very pleased with herself. Blood dripped from my neck from the wound she had purposely neglected to close. She watched the trail soak through the top of my dress with a satisfied smirk.

"Your little human bled for me too, you know," she informed me casually as she walked back toward the door, "but, that wasn't _all_ he did for me." She turned a knowing smirk my way, winked, then left the cell, slamming the door behind her.

I silently seethed, vision going black, body frozen in place. I barely noticed as Gray rushed to my side and sealed the wound for me. I didn't hear what words he spoke. Blood rushed in my ears, loud and steadfast.

 _Natsu… No, it's not true, it can't be! He wouldn't—_

But he had…with me. Who's to say he wouldn't have done the same with Minerva? Or any number of women here? Who was I to judge him if he had? I had no right to be angry about things that happened before we met.

Still, the thought made bile rise in my throat so bad I had to lean over and gag onto the floor, expelling the meager contents that still sat in my stomach then dry heave for another minute before the feeling somewhat settled.

I could feel Gray holding back my hair as I vomited, and when that was done he pulled me against his chest like he used to do when we were young and let me cry there, not saying anything, just holding me. For some reason that made the tears come even harder. It was a reminder of how we used to be—before he betrayed me.

Finally, the tears dried up all at once and came to a crashing halt—like a switch being flipped. I cleared my throat, wiped my eyes and mouth, then shoved him away. I buried my face in my knees, keeping my back to him. I didn't cry, just sat there trying to come to terms with what Minerva had said.

 _Lies,_ my mind immediately decided.

That was probably true, but the thought that that woman had put her mouth anywhere near Natsu disgusted me. I felt violated on his behalf. He was the embodiment of everything good and right in this messed up world and Minerva was the complete opposite. She was the reason vampires had such a bad name. People feared us—were disgusted by our very existence. Those who believed, anyway.

"She's full of shit," Gray murmured a few moments later. I still had my back to him and just barely made out the words. Still, and despite everything with him and Minerva and my churning thoughts, the words made me smile.

…

Hours passed and all was silent. Minerva didn't come back that day or the next, and Gray and I spoke little if at all. I was essentially alone in that cell. No one came to give us food or blood, or offer us a trip to the bathroom, which was perhaps the most painful part of all. I'd take Minerva's bites or torture any day over that humiliation.

Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much.

I was starting to lose my resolve to ignore Gray out of sheer boredom and lack of will. I was beginning to think that I no longer cared why the hell he'd betrayed me if only I had someone to talk with. These endless hours of silence were hard on me—they made me think, and thinking was not something I wanted to be doing.

 _Is this what Natsu went through for three whole_ years _?_

 _Is this why he sought companionship with the devil herself?_

 _No, he did no such thing! Natsu would never be with a beast like her._

… _right?_

I sighed and turned to where Gray sat against the opposite wall, eyes fixed unblinkingly at a spot on the ceiling. I followed his gaze and noticed a spot of mold was growing there from what looked to be a constant drip of water that fell right onto Gray's head, one after another.

"Gray," I said. He didn't move, didn't blink or respond to his name in any way. "Gray!" I called louder. This time he turned his head my way a fraction of an inch, though his eyes stayed fixed on that spot. "What are you doing?" I asked him. "Come away from there before you fall ill."

"I'm fine," he responded, voice an emotionless monotone.

I frowned. Was this some sort of personal torture?

"Don't be stupid. Come on, you can sit over here where the water doesn't fall."

Finally, his eyes closed and he sighed tiredly. "Lucy," his voice soft and anguished, "I—"

"If you apologize one more time, I'm going to kill you," I warned, though the threat wasn't really in my voice.

He must have sensed this because he turned to me fully then and peered over at me, eyes still half-concealed behind his long lashes. "I deserve nothing less."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, yeah, _you_ deserve it, but your unborn child doesn't deserve to grow up without a father." His eyes opened fully, growing wider as I continued to speak. "You're not a bad guy, Gray. It wasn't your fault that Juvia got snatched from right under our noses. If it was anyone's fault, it was mine for not paying attention to my coven like I should have been."

"Lucy—"

"But you don't deserve to die for doing what you thought was right," I cut him off. "Everyone deserves a second chance. You and I have known each other for _years_ , there's no way I'm going to let Minerva the Saber-Bitch sever our bond like it's nothing. If I let that happen, it would be like a betrayal in itself."

Gray's eyes gleamed in the faint light from overhead, the reds standing out against the navy seas within. "I don't deserve you," he finally said.

"Well, duh." I grinned, then sighed once more. "We're going to get Juvia back, Gray, I swear it."

He nodded fiercely. "And I _will_ earn your trust and loyalty back, Lucy, if it's the last thing I do in this life. I will pay you back for this betrayal every day of my life."

 _You can't take back a betrayal like this,_ I thought, _but I'll be damned if I don't at least let you try._

…

We didn't talk much after that, but the tension had left the air at least. Gray no longer sat under the drip of water, but we didn't sit side-by-side as we may have before. Our relationship hadn't mended itself quite that easily and I hadn't exactly forgiven him, but I wasn't going to carry around all that pent up anger either. At least, not when we had bigger enemies to worry about.

More hours passed in a similar fashion, Gray and I sitting in silence, waiting for something to happen—because we knew something would. Minerva wasn't keeping us locked in here for the fun of it, that much I was certain of. She had a plan, I just wasn't sure what that was yet.

The next time someone came to our cell, it wasn't Minerva but a smart looking man with long blonde hair and a hat with a feather sticking out of it's top. He held a book against his chest and something else behind his back, concealed from view. I eyed it suspiciously, waiting for him to strike us with a knife or some kind of torture object.

Gray stiffened near me, wary of this new visitor as much as I was, though he stayed on the opposite side of the cell door.

"Hello, Madam Lucy of Fairy Tail." The man gave a curt bow of his head. I arched an eyebrow at his almost respectful greeting. "Pleasure to have you with us."

"The pleasure's all yours, pal," Gray muttered.

The man ignored him, gaze fixed solely on me. "I have to say, I wasn't very surprised at all to hear that you had surrendered to us," he went on, staying poised just outside the cell door. He tapped his head with the book. "I have committed all of your actions to memory—every defensive and offensive moves you played against our soldiers, your facial expressions when you move or think, the way your body moves."

"You're a real pervert, aren't you?" Gray noted dryly.

The man went on as if Gray hadn't said a word. "And that boy you chose to save…" He shook his head as if in pity. "Really, I expected nothing less of a Heartfilia descendent. Foolish acts must be genetic."

I sucked in a sharp breath. "How do you know that?" I demanded.

He shrugged, "I know everything; I have committed it all to memory. You are Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of previous Fairy Tail Queen, Layla Heartfilia, direct descendent of your coven's very creator, Mavis Vermillion-Heartfilia."

I froze and for a moment I could have sworn that the world went deathly still and silent. Then Gray turned to me, eyes wide with surprise.

"What's he talking about?"

"How do you know that?" I asked through gritted teeth, ignoring Gray.

The bastard actually _smirked._ "I told you, I have committed everything to memory. I know all about your pathetic little coven and every member inside of it."

I turned on Gray now, seething. " _You_ did this, didn't you?"

His eyes widened even farther. "Wh-No! Lucy, I swear, I've never seen this creep before."

"He's telling you the truth," the guy said. "No one from your coven told us anything."

I immediately picked up on the hidden meaning behind those words.

 _No one from_ your _coven told us anything._

"Then who did?" Gray asked, just as I said, "You have an Exceptional."

* * *

 **A/N:** Dun dun dun~~~ Who can guess what an 'Exceptional' is? Any ideas on WHO could be one?

 **MorriganFae** , (Chapter 29) Lolol, sorry, Morrigan... And nope, never seen Star Wars! I know, I need to get on that wagon already! I'll watch them with my friend! She was offended when I told her I hadn't seen them lol.

 **Compucles** , (Chapter 29) Excellent guess XD And as for Jude, that's a good theory also. It does appear that way...

 **NekoSkittles** , (Chapter 29) Yes, it makes sense when you really think about it. It could have made sense if someone else (like Midnight) had betrayed her just to be an asshole, but... *shrug* Stele doesn't do anything the easy way. Gotta go through Heartbreak City first.

 **bibyyyy** , (Chapter 29) Thank yoooooouuuuu~~! XD I love you too! And yes, Gray certainly didn't have much choice in the matter. Who could possibly make such a horrible choice? Poor Gray; poor Juvia; poor Lucy; poor Natsu...

 **turtle3334** , (Chapter 29) Riiiggght? A double agent! Would have been smarter, fo sho.

 **Neko Lucy-Chan** , (Chapter 29) LMAO, right?! Why the pink-haired one?! No, he's not a demon, if that makes you feel any better lol.

I can't do math to save my own life... They put me pre-algebra when I started college. I don't get numbers at all... I'm a writer, not an accountant.

It had to be Gray, Neko, it had to be~~~! I went back and forth for a long time trying to figure out who needed to be the "bad guy".

(Chapter 30) Lol, yeah, better run for it, boy. Don't let the scary redhead take you to her council of bloodsucking demons! What do you mean you like spoilers? *Shakes head* Neko, Neko... No! Spoilers are no fun! And I have seen a few episodes of Stranger Things, but I haven't finished the first season yet. I plan to watch it with a girlfriend, though!

 **A/N 2** : Okay, I THINK I got everyone's questions. If I missed something, feel free to mention it again. Unless it has to do with plot, in which case I probably took it as rhetorical and purposely did not answer it. If the answers contain spoilers, I keep them to myself! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stele out~!


	33. Chapter 32: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Thirty-Two: Natsu**

Lucy had told me a little about the Council that helped her make important decisions for the coven, but actually seeing it firsthand was something else altogether.

I liked to think that I was brave and badass but standing in a room full of blood-red eyes and sharp fangs brought out the coward in me. Still, I hid that fear under a mask of indifference. I kept my expression as blank as possible, looking everywhere but at the vampires who obviously wanted to either kill me or eat me, it wasn't really clear. What _was_ clear, however, was the furious expressions all the vamps were giving the scary redhead.

"Erza, why have you brought a human into our chambers?" Asked a vamp with long silver hair and blue eyes rimmed in red. She didn't look quite as angry as some of the others, but there was still a hard look in her eyes as she looked at the redhead by my side.

Besides myself, Wendy, the one called Erza, and the one with weird pointy elf ears, there were eight others. That meant there were eleven bloodsuckers against one measly human. Not that I thought of sweet Wendy as a bloodsucker, but the rest of them would probably love to rip my head off if given the chance.

"Erik, how could you?" Asked a girl with short violet hair, a look of betrayal written on her face.

"Don't be like that, Kinana," Pointy Ears said. His tone held no remorse, though he avoided eye contact with her as if ashamed. "You don't even know why we brought him here."

"I see you drug the kid into your human business," remarked a blonde with a strange jagged scar along his right eye. He was the only one who didn't look surprised by my presence, which I found odd. He sat in his chair casually, one leg crossed over the other as if a human in these parts was perfectly normal. Maybe it was, what'd I know?

"Hey!" Wendy exclaimed from my right. "I'm not a kid anymore, Laxus!"

"Yeah, yeah." He waved her off.

"Explain yourselves, please."

I turned toward a short man with a look of authority, who sat beside the beautiful white-haired woman. He wasn't glaring at me, he was giving me a look of speculation or suspicion, I wasn't sure which. It was clear that he was curious about me, however.

Erza spoke up first. "This boy has information about our Queen."

The small man arched an eyebrow at me. "Oh? Do tell, young man. What is it you know?"

I tried not to look delicious with all those eyes boring into mine.

"Well," I began, "I was with Lucy on the surface—"

"The Queen went to the surface?!" Squeaked the violet-haired girl.

"Oh no," remarked a small blonde by the scarred man's side. She had remarkable emerald eyes, though the beauty was tainted with that red circle that marked her as a vampire, and long blonde hair. Her feet were bare, which struck me as funny and I had to fight to keep myself from laughing outright. I didn't think the bloodsuckers would appreciate my humor.

I nodded, pushing the urge down. "She did. She and I went to the surface to—"

"You mean she took _you_ with her?" Asked the silver-haired woman in disbelief.

"Meaning, he was already down here," concluded a blue-haired man.

"Yes," I confirmed, now annoyed that I was getting interrupted so much. "That's not the point. The point is that _I_ am now down here while your beloved Queen Lucy is not."

That shut them up.

They all gaped at me with similar expressions of disbelief.

Finally, the blue-haired one said, "Her Majesty did not come back with you?"

I winced and tried to make myself appear smaller, snack-sized. Surely eight vamps wouldn't want to share…

"Then why the hell are _you_ here?" Asked the blonde man, gesturing at me. "If the Queen didn't return, why did she send _you_?"

"She didn't _send_ me," I corrected him, "she didn't have a choice. I came back of my own free will—to warn you all."

"Warn us about what, son?" Asked the elderly man.

"Your Queen has been taken prisoner by Sabertooth," I said, "and your whole coven is surrounded by vampires."

A collective gasp filled the room. Then, outrage.

"What the hell does he mean, the Queen has been taken prisoner?!"

"We have to do something, quickly!"

"Panicking will not do us any good."

"Blue is right, we can't start freaking out that the Queen ain't here."

"Are we really surrounded by enemy forces?"

"What are we going to do?!"

"SILENCE!" Erza's voice rang out in the room, making a few of the vamps wince, especially Erik who looked physically pained.

"Was that necessary?" he muttered, holding his hands over his ears.

Erza ignored them and instead addressed the group. "Jellal and Laxus are right, we cannot afford to panic now. We have to come up with a plan of attack."

"And we have to save Luce!" I added.

"We will deal with that when the time comes," Erza shot me a glare. "For now, we have to deal with the threat at hand."

"Saving your Queen isn't considered top priority?"

I couldn't believe it! For creatures who were supposed to protect their Queen above all others, they didn't seem too concerned with getting her back. Didn't they care at all what she was undoubtedly going through?

"I was a Sabertooth prisoner, you know!" I snarled. All eyes fell on me, again looking surprised. "For three years, I was their Queen's personal blood-bag, not to mention her lackies liked to hit and do other horrible things. That's who your Queen is with right now. They're monsters, way worse than your group here appears to be. You can't possibly think that it's a good idea to just _leave_ her there while they do god-knows-what with her!"

"He has a point, Erza," agreed the girl with no shoes. "We can't just abandon our Queen."

"Yeah!" Wendy exclaimed. "Lucy needs us, Erza! We can't leave her with that coven! They're horrible and mean!"

"Enough, Wendy." Erza sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Someone get this child out of here, she no longer has business in this chamber."

"What?!" she squeaked, clutching onto my arm as if _I_ could protect her from the room full of vampires. "You can't make me leave! I won't go! I want to help find Lucy!"

"No." Erza's voice was firm and held a command nearly as strong as Lucy's.

Wendy flinched under Erza's steely gaze, then dropped her eyes and fled the room, sobbing loudly as she did.

"I'll go make sure she's alright," the purple-haired one, Kinana, offered. At Erza's nod, the girl stood and left the room as well.

"Was that necessary?" I asked, half wanting to go after her myself, but knowing I needed to stay here and force them to go after my Luce.

"Do not speak, human," she snapped at me, then turned her attention back to the group. "We will pull the forces Queen Lucy established for us earlier and plan an attack on the surrounding vampires.

"Erik, I need you to go with Mira to the control room and help monitor the systems. Find out exactly how many vampires we're dealing with here and when they plan to strike."

Erik nodded, and he and the silver-haired one, Mira, scurried out the door at once.

"Jellal," Erza turned toward the blue-haired man next. "You will help with battle strategy, we need all the help we can get."

Jellal nodded and pulled out a notebook from somewhere beneath the table and began scribbling something down there.

It struck me as odd that this woman was the self-appointed leader now that their Queen was no longer around to give orders. What gave her the right to boss everyone around in Lucy's place? Was she just going to assume the role as Queen and take over the coven for herself?

"Alzack and Bisca," Erza turned toward two vampires who stood against the wall behind the blue-haired guy, Jellal. They each held a look of determination as they waited for instructions.

The male, Alzack I presumed, had short black hair and a dark brown shirt that looked too big for him. Bisca, his wife or whatever, had strange green-colored hair that I'd never seen before and wore nothing but a skirt that barely covered her ass and a black bra with a vest that covered absolutely nothing. Her ensemble left little to the imagination, so I quickly averted my eyes, lest her husband accuse me of being a pervert.

Erza gave them strict orders to patrol the perimeter of the coven from above, which I thought was suicidal, but neither looked the least bit concerned as they gave a slight bow of the head and scurried out of the room.

That left Erza, Jellal, the short bald man, the blonde with no shoes and her scarred-eyed counterpart—and me, a lone human; a tasty treat.

"I will prepare the army our Queen has in place for us," declared the short man.

 _Army?_ I wondered just how many vamps lived in this coven. It was impossible to tell the size of this place from either above or inside and I had never toured the place or anything, so I couldn't even wager a guess on how many of them could fit inside. Could be hundreds, for all I knew. The thought made me a little nauseous.

 _You're alive, aren't you?_ My mind reasoned with me. _No one has killed you yet, so take that as a good sign._

Erza nodded at the man's words and he followed the others out the door. Vampires were trickling out like flies. I couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not for me. Would fewer vampires mean a less likely chance of becoming dinner? Or would that give whoever was left the encouragement they needed to go ahead and tear me to pieces?

"What should we do?" Asked the small blonde girl.

Erza turned her gaze to her and frowned. "At this time, I don't have any other—"

"What are we gonna do about Blondie?" The one named Laxus interrupted her.

"Like I said," she replied in a hard tone, "we will see to that when we have dealt with the surrounding vampires who threaten all of our lives. Lucy is safe for now; we will plan a rescue for her as soon as the woods are clear."

"That's bullshit!" I exclaimed. My hands balled into fists—

—and lit on fire.

The four remaining vampires all simultaneously flashed to the opposite side of the room, eyes wide on the fire I held encasing my fists and burning in my eyes.

"She's your _Queen_!" I told them all fiercely. "She sacrificed herself to save me and I'll be damned if I don't do the same for her in return! Are you all going to sit here on your asses and let your Queen get tortured right under your noses? Is that what Fairy Tail vampires do? If so, then you're all just as bad as those Saber-bastards."

A few of them blinked at me in surprise. Erza looked exasperated, the blue one looked curious, and Laxus looked at me with a strange expression that I couldn't decipher. It looked almost like… determination. With a hint of something suspicious that I wasn't sure I wanted to know the meaning of.

"Y-You have some nerve, human!" Erza's eyes flashed with anger, and maybe even fear.

"Now, now Erza, it's alright." The short man slowly approached me, wary eyes trained on my fists. "Young man, how are you able to create fire with your bare hands?"

I looked down at the fire and just like that the flames disappeared. "I don't know," I admitted. "It just happens sometimes, I can't really control it."

"Great," remarked Laxus in a deadpan, "an uncontrollable pyro is living under our roof." The barefoot blonde at his side poked him in the arm and gave him a stern look. He winked at her in return.

"Take him back to Lucy's chambers for now," Erza ordered no one in particular, still keeping her distance from me. "We will figure out what to do with him later."

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me the plan for getting Luce back!"

"We don't have one," the redhead glowered at me. "Someone get this boy out of my sight."

"I will, Erza." Jellal stepped forward and gave me an expectant look.

I sighed in resignation and followed him out the door. There was nothing I could do even if I wanted to and the red-headed monster seemed adamant about getting rid of those Saber-bastard's army. I would wait for now, but then I would get out of this coven and rescue Lucy myself. If I died in the process, well, I didn't care. I didn't want to live without her, and I'd be damned if I was someone's prisoner again.

"I have to apologize for my mate's rudeness," Jellal said casually as we walked. "She can be a bit…"

"Bitchy?" I supplied dryly. "Cruel? Scary as hell?"

Jellal smirked. "Passionate," he finished.

That wasn't the word I would use, but I decided it best not to comment further.

"You know," he continued conversationally. "Erza isn't a bad person. She wants to get Queen Lucy back just as much as you do, if not more so."

I scoffed. "I find that hard to believe." She wouldn't even _consider_ going after her! She was fine with just leaving Lucy to get tortured by those bastards.

"It's true," he insisted. "Erza has been at Lucy's side for the past three years since she was crowned Queen at just fifteen-years-old. It was Erza who adamantly took her side whenever the other Council members tried to force Lucy into taking a mate."

I sucked in a sharp breath. _Force her to take a mate?_

"And it was Erza who was there for her in all the times she needed guidance or assistance. She offered suggestions whenever Lucy was struggling with important decisions. Erza was there even before Lucy was our Queen. She has always been a good friend to her. That is why Her Majesty chose her as her right hand."

"Lucy… _chose_ Erza?" That was a surprise. I assumed the woman had sort of integrated herself into the Council of Bloodsucking Demons, or whatever they called themselves. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"Basically, the one chosen to sit at the Queen's right side acts as the primary advisor, and in the case that the Queen should be unable to perform her duties, such as the matter we have now, that person is then allowed temporary rulership until the Queen is able to return. In the case of death, however…" Jellal paused as we reached Lucy's door and gave me a solemn look. "Well. You can ask Queen Lucy that question for yourself when we get her back. For now, I bid you goodnight."

With that, he turned and made his way back down the long hallway, leaving me alone in a coven full of bloodsucking strangers.

 _Well, fuck my life._

* * *

 **Sayaka Chan 94** , No, Natsu didn't have sex with Minerva or anyone else prior to being with Lucy. Minerva is just a b**ch and wanted Lucy to think so to hurt her; she's a horrible person. Don't worry, our Natsu would never do such a thing! Not in one of my stories. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It really does mean a lot!

 **MnmAllyn** , Oooh, very interesting theory! Love that!

 **Neko Lucy-Chan** , Nekoooooooo! Always so thorough, I love that XD. But some advice? If writing is something you're passionate about, definitely keep at it. Don't sell yourself short just yet. If you love writing and you love the story you're working on, keep writing! That's the best advice I can give you: never stop writing. Even if it's just a page or half a page a day, keep at it. Something great is bound to come from your efforts. You can do it, Neko!

 **Insane-As-The-Mind** , OH? Do tell this theory of yours! I'm exceptionally curious (see what I did there? XD)

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	34. Chapter 33: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Thirty-Three: Lucy**

"You have an Exceptional."

"A what?" Gray asked, gaze shifting back and forth between our visitor and me, confusion evident in his eyes. "What the hell does that mean?"

"So it's true then," the man said, voice lilting and calm, casual even. "Fairy Tail has a few Exceptionals as well. I guess our scouts weren't as far off as we thought."

I didn't know what that meant but I fought to keep my expression blank, unwilling to give away anything away to this bastard. We had a few Exceptionals on our side, but I wasn't about to share that with this guy.

"Who do you have spying on us?" I demanded. "And what the hell do you _want_ from us anyway? If the VEC knew you were spying—"

A scoff cut me off. "The VEC doesn't care what we do, haven't you noticed, little girl?"

I bared my teeth but he paid me little mind as he flipped open his book one-handed and glanced down at it. Was he seriously going to _read_ right now?

"Just who are you?" I asked in a low tone.

"Me?" He glanced up from his book as if surprised to find company there. I scowled. "I suppose it's only fair that I introduce myself since we're all in the same coven now."

I scoffed. "Ha! Gray and I will never join your coven."

He shrugged, unconcerned, and looked back down at his book. "I am Rufus Lore, madam Lucy."

My eyes grew wide at that. I knew that name; I remembered hearing about it at Council meetings when I'd first become Queen. It was highly suggested that Rufus was one of the few known Exceptionals, though so far we had no any proof on the matter. From what we'd heard from our own scouts, as well as what I'd gathered from the biannual VEC meetings, Rufus was one of Sabertooth's most elite members, a vampire who was nearly as powerful as their Queen. That did not bode well for us.

Rufus smirked at my reaction. "Yes, of course, you would know my name. I made it a point to be as conspicuous as possible."

"Why?" Hatred dripped from my barely uttered words.

"You got a death wish or somethin'?" Gray added.

"No, I simply like the attention. I like to watch pathetic vampires like yourselves look at me with fear-filled eyes. It's entertaining." His smirk turned downright evil.

His attitude reminded me a lot of another vampire I knew all too well: Midnight. Same casual air, same arrogance, same annoying-as-hell attitude.

"Disgusting," I hissed. So he liked the attention, did he? Well, maybe I'd give him some then.

"Uh-uh," Rufus shook his head at me. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

 _Fuck you,_ I thought and lunged at the bars.

I didn't get two feet before a sound like a shotgun filled the room and a sharp pain exploded in my chest, sending me flying backward and into the wall.

"Lucy!" Gray yelled. The last thing I saw was his face hovering above mine before everything faded to black.

…

 _Today will be my first time attending a Council meeting as Queen. Unfortunately, it's also the day of the great, biannual Vampire Elite Council meeting as well. What are the chances of that?_

 _Currently, I am sitting in the throne room as Virgo does my hair and makeup, trying to make me appear older, I think. She's already fitted me with some kind of too-short gown made of thin, pale pink silk that reminds me of a nightgown I used to wear when I was a little girl. With it, I wear a pair of rose gold stilettos that wrap around my slender ankles, with a heel a good five-inches-tall. It's taken me three days of walking around in them just to be able to walk from one side of the room to the other without falling flat on my face._

" _Almost done," Virgo says as she applies yet another coat of mascara to my eyes._

 _I sigh. It's not going to matter how much makeup I wear, they're never going to take me seriously at my age. Never has there been a fifteen-year-old Queen in Fiore's history._

 _Scratch that, not since Queen Mavis, who helped establish Fairy Tail coven millennia ago—my ancestor._

"It's your duty to follow the path of our ancestors, Lucy," _my mother used to tell me._ "Our coven's great creator, Mavis Vermillion-Heartfilia, dictated the path that has made Fairy Tail into what it is today. My mother, and her mother, and her mother's mother were all Queen at one point. And after me, it will be your turn to rule, my sweet Luce."

 _I never really thought too much about that, I never considered that I'd be Queen so young, but now, thinking about my great-great-great-I-don't-even-know-how-many-greats-grandmother, Mavis, makes me think that maybe I can actually do this. Mavis was only thirteen when she ruled, and she created something great with this coven, extraordinary even._

 _Maybe, just maybe, I can do the same._

 _Half an hour later, I'm seated at the head of the Council's table. There are several members lined up along the walls, heads down in a display of respect. The only other person currently seated is Makarov Dreyar, my mother's right-hand man and also the one who has been helping me this last week and a half since I'd been crowned._

 _Today, I am to choose who will sit on the Council with me. I can only choose mated pairs, with two separate pairs to occupy each side of the table. Two will join myself and Makarov on day-to-day affairs, and the other two pairs will be as a sort of backup in case one pair is unable to attend a meeting for whatever reason, or when we have official meetings where everyone sworn into the Council will attend._

 _I've never thought so much in my life. I have read through dozens upon dozens of "resumes" from prospective Council members, all vying for one of the few coveted spots. I wish I could just pick four at random and be done with it all, but Makarov patiently advised that I take the time to go through each and every one. Fortunately, he also offered to help me out and make suggestions on those he thought would be best, which considerably reduced the pile._

 _I've had exactly ten days to go through all of the requests and narrow them down to just four pairs. I haven't slept more than three hours at a time, haven't eaten except for the meager blood Makarov or Mira have brought to my room in the form of a plastic cup—disgusting, cold, and does little more than barely keep me alive—but these requests had to be finished by today since I have to take the final roster to the VEC meeting in two hours._

 _Altogether, there will be a total of ten Council members, including myself and Makarov, who will be filling in until I marry._

" _Queen Lucy," Makarov intones when the narrowed down prospects are all gathered around. My father is among them, acting as an advisor. He stands just behind Makarov, arms folded over his chest with a disapproving expression, eyes narrowed on mine as if waiting for me to screw something up. I try not to cower under his steely gaze._

 _Makarov continues. "Today is one not to be taken lightly." He eyes the gathered coven members each in turn. "Our Queen has spent the last several days and nights, sacrificing sleep and health, in order to look through each and every one of your files. I ask you all to be patient and to accept whatever our Queen sees fit for her Council._

" _Now, Queen Lucy, if you will." He gestures at me and the stack of folders sitting perfectly aligned in front of me._

 _I nod and stand so that I may address my coven fully, purposely angling myself so that I can no longer see my father's disapproving eye._

" _Thank you for your support," I begin. I swallow down any nervousness or fear I've felt in preparation for this day. This is my first official duty as Queen and I intend to do it right, without looking like a scared little girl. I may be young, but I_ will _follow in Mavis's footsteps if it's the last thing I do._

" _I am pleased that so many of you wish to serve at my side," I continue with my practiced speech, "and I am even more pleased that many of you also served beside my mother, the late Layla Heartfilia." A moment of silence passes in respect. "I promise you all, that I intend to rule this coven as my mother did before me; I promise that I will always look out for what is best for the whole, and do what I think will help make our coven prosper for as long as I shall reign._

" _My first order of business,..." I take a deep breath and turn to my father, who still looks at me with hate-filled eyes. "Before we get into my final decisions on Council members, my first order as official Queen of Fairy Tail—" I gesture at my father, "—is to ask Jude Heartfilia to step down as the Queen's advisor. At once." I add._

 _I watch as my father's expression turns from hatred to fury, his eyes practically glowing red now and narrowed into the smallest slits._

 _All eyes have turned toward my father, some shocked, other's carefully guarded, revealing nothing, some actually look pleased._

" _Lucy," my father growls at me. "You have no right to ask me to—"_

" _I am your Queen now," I interrupt him in a sharp rebuke, "and you will address me as such."_

" _You're my_ daughter _!" he growls. Now, his hands are balled into fists and his posture is angled forward slightly as if he might actually attack me. "You will behave as such!"_

Laughable _, I think as I recall all the times he told me that he hated me, all the times he told me I was never his daughter and I never would be._

 _His words don't bother me anymore, for I no longer fear the cruel man who stands before me. He was right all those times: I am not his daughter and never will be. Whatever power he once wielded over me has become but a handful of dust in the sunlight._

" _Jude, you are officially dismissed from duties that pertain to Council matters from here on." I nod at Mira who has just shuffled forward to stand near my father. She takes him by the arm._

" _I will not stand for this, Lucy!" my father hollers at me as Mira starts to drag him away. "This is_ my _coven; you can't make me step down!"_

 _I just_ did, _asshole._

 _Mira drags him from the room, and the sounds of his grumbling can be heard all the way down the hall._

" _Now that that's settled," I say, turning back to the gathered members, "let's get the rest of business underway." I take a moment to let everything sink in, then give a brief nod of acknowledgment and return to my seat._

 _I open the folder on the top of my stack and announce the first names that will join my Council. "I've thought long and hard about this decision, and consulted Makarov many times before reaching this decision." I pause for a moment—as Makarov instructed me—to give suspense. "The first pair on the new Fairy Tail Council, will be Erza and Jellal Fernandez._

" _Erza," I turn to the scarlet-haired woman. "Will you accept the place as my right-hand lady?"_

 _Erza nods, expression full of determination. "I will, Your Majesty." She and Jellal both bow low before taking seats at my right side._

 _The next pair was a lot harder for me to decide on, and what it came down to eventually was simply that this couple had sat on my mother's Council for her entire rule, which meant she'd trusted them with her life and the lives of her coven._

" _Lilliana and Laxus Dreyar," I announce next, turning to the pair of blondes who stand near the door. "I invite you to sit at my side, as you did for my mother for centuries."_

" _We will, Your Majesty," Laxus says, then both bow and take their seats._

 _The reserve members were a little easier to choose, though certainly much thought still went into my final decision._

 _Alzack and Bisca are two vampires I have known for my entire life. They took care of me while my mother and father were busy with Council business, and they taught me that family isn't always screwed up, as mine always has been. They were there for me when I needed them most._

 _Erik and Kinana were a little harder, simply because Erik used to be a part of an enemy coven, the Oración Seis. They were disbanded some time ago, however, and for whatever reason, my mother invited Erik into our coven with open arms. My mother once told me that he'd refused at first, but after he met Kinana, he'd grudgingly decided he would stay, but only on the condition that his asshole 'brother,' Midnight be allowed to join as well._

 _So why did I choose Erik, ex-member of the Oración Seis? Simply because my mother would have wanted it that way. I know she had been trying to get him a chair on the Council for some time, but she was having trouble getting the request approved. At first, it had been simply that he wasn't mated yet; even though he was pretty infatuated with Kina, he hadn't Claimed her yet or asked for a mating request._

 _Now is my chance to see to her wish that he be on the Council, at least as a reserve member. He would be a part of official decisions, but he wouldn't sit with us for each and every meeting._

 _When that is all complete, more paperwork has to be filled out and signed by each new Council member, along with a signature from both myself and Makarov._

 _Finally, the meeting comes to a close and I'm off to my first Vampire Elite Council meeting, off to swear in a new Queen and a new Council from Fairy Tail coven. Mavis, help me._

…

It was the pain that finally woke me. I was chained to the wall right under the drip of water Gray had sat under before, mouth gagged and eyes concealed behind a blindfold of some sort. My arms were stretched behind me at the most uncomfortable angle, my legs folded in a way that would probably break a human's, but left mine with just a pinching ache.

 _That bastard_ , I silently seethed. I gave the chains one good tug and they ripped free from the wall. Immediately, I tore the gag and blindfold away and tossed them away.

"Gray?" I expected to find him in a similar position—which would explain why he hadn't done anything about my current predicament—but my voice fell on deaf ears, so to speak.

No one was with me; the cell was deathly still and silent, save for the endless _drip, drip, drip_ of water that still spattered against my head.

"Gray!" I tried to stand, but as soon as I pushed up into a kneeling position, dizziness swept over me and sent me falling on my face. "Ow," I complained when my face met with the hard stone floor, and still the feeling did not subside.

Gray was gone. I had been tranquilized and no doubt drugged judging by the rolling nausea coursing through my body, and I was now left completely alone in this alien place.

I stayed where I was half sprawled on the floor, numb from both the drug and the sudden grief that I had no idea what they'd done to Gray, or what they planned on doing to me next. It seemed unlikely that they were keeping me chained to a wall and drugged to unconsciousness at intervals for no rhyme or reason. I held no illusions that they would just leave me here to die in peace.

No, I was sure Minerva and her pack of assholes would be back, there was no doubt about that. What I had to consider now was what I would do when one of them came back… I was too sick and weak and shaky: tremors shook my body, my mind befuddled, my vision blurred. I needed to stop them from getting any more drugs into my system. That was the first step to getting out of here. The next step, gathering as much information about this place as possible, from whatever means necessary.

I would get out of this hellhole, and I'd take down the very walls of this place when I did.

* * *

 **silver light of dawn** , I love to hear your guys' theories!

 **BrokenGlass12** , Um... good question lol. He probably just hasn't really thought to bring it up yet, or he doesn't really see the significance of telling these people. He's also kind of a scatterbrain aometimes XD

 **Neko Lucy-Chan** , Lmao, you always make me laugh, Neko XD I'm so proud of you, Neko! Good job on your math quiz! So cool! Math is HARD, so you did awesome! I don't know what DCA is, but boo to math nerds! Honors math, ugh. Math is evil! I petition to get rid of it!

 **GothBanshee** , Wow! Impressive! Thank you so much for reading this fic, I'm so glad that you're liking it so far! Welcome!

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	35. Chapter 34: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Thirty-Four: Natsu**

" _Oh, and in case you think about making a run for it, just remember that the vampires here would love to make a meal out of you."_

"That bastard," I grumbled, recalling the smug smirk that blue-haired freak had sent my way before he'd disappeared behind the next hallway, leaving me there gaping like an idiot.

I huffed in annoyance and fell onto Lucy's side of the bed. I had already showered off all the blood and dirt from our earlier fight and was now just exhausted. I didn't want to dwell on all the shit in my life anymore, I just wanted the sweet reprieve of sleep.

Of course, just as I had settled into the blankets and closed my eyes, a knock made me jump like a startled kitten. I groaned in annoyance, suddenly understanding why Lucy always looked murderous whenever anyone knocked on the door.

 _It's probably just that bastard, Jellal_ , I thought, _so maybe I can ignore it_ …

"Natsu!" A whispered hiss.

I bolted upright.

 _Wendy._

I slid from the bed and bounded over to the door, pulling it open to reveal the small bluenette with wide terrified eyes.

"Oh, Natsu!" She flung her arms around my back and sobbed into my chest.

"Whoa." I chuckled, pulling her inside and closing the door behind us. "What's with the waterworks?"

"I was so worried!"

"You just saw me, Wends." I patted her back reassuringly. "A couple of toothy assholes with way too much attitude can't take me down!"

She laughed and pulled back, swiping at her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I was afraid someone had taken a liking to you."

"..."

 _Taken a liking to me. As in… thought I was delicious?_

The thought was so ridiculous, I burst into laughter. Wendy looked confused, then slightly annoyed.

"It's not funny, Natsu!" she insisted. "We don't have humans in our coven very often; if someone smelled you and decided to have a snack, that would be the end of you. Lucy has excellent control, but not all of us do."

"What about _you_?" I asked before I could stop myself. I regretted the words as soon as I saw her eyes tear up again. "Wendy, I—

"I would never hurt you, Natsu," she cut in, voice quiet. "You're like a brother—no more than that, you're like a parent. I wouldn't hurt you."

I sighed and ran a hand through my still damp hair. "I'm sorry, Wendy, I know you wouldn't do that. I'm just…"

"Stressed about Lucy?" she guessed.

"Is it that obvious?" I gave her a nervous smile.

"Only a lot." She grinned. "Don't worry, Natsu, I won't let them eat you."

 _Was that supposed to be reassuring?_

"I know, Wends." I patted her back. When she yawned, I chuckled lightly. "Come on, you can sleep here tonight."

"I'm not tired," she protested through another yawn. Her eyes were already closing as I led her to the bed and helped her into it.

"Of course you're not," I agreed, tucking the covers up to her chin. "Just keep the bed warm for Luce, okay?"

"Mmhm…" Her body relaxed instantly, and though she had no breath to tell me one way or another, I could guess that she was fast asleep.

I chuckled again and then made myself comfortable in the armchair near the bed. I didn't think I should feel as comfortable as I did sleeping in the same room as a vampire, but maybe being close to Lucy for two months had softened me up. I was becoming accustomed to being around these creatures.

Glancing over at the sleeping girl on the bed beside me, I had to reevaluate that thought. I could never see that little girl as some "creature," nor did I see Lucy that way. Maybe the scumbags of Sabertooth deserved that title, but Lucy's coven…well, even if they let their utter hatred for me show without remorse, they weren't openly hostile. They didn't torture me, at least. That had to count for something… right?

Maybe.

The other vampires in Lucy's coven clearly did not approve of me at all, and most likely never would at this point, but that wouldn't stop me from trying my damnedest to earn their respect at the very least.

…

Once again, my sleep was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. I growled, I couldn't help it. I was fucking _tired_ and these damn vamps kept bothering me!

 _Go away,_ I silently growled at the intruder, throwing an arm over my eyes and pretending that I hadn't heard anything.

The knocking persisted, louder now.

"Ugh," I groaned and pushed to my feet. I glanced over at the bed to see that Wendy was still out cold. _Good,_ I thought as I made my way to the door. She needed the sleep more than I did.

I threw open the door without waiting to ask who was on the other side, a scowl fixed on my face. How long had I slept for? Five minutes? An hour?

The blonde vampire with the weird lightning bolt shaped scar across his eye stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a pissed off expression on his face.

I arched an eyebrow. "Locky, was it?"

He scowled harder. "Laxus," he corrected. "Do you want to save Lucy or not, fire-freak?"

The insult I had ready died on my lips at his words, leaving me slack-jawed.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "One time offer, take it or leave it. Not that it matters to _me_ , but…"

I didn't believe that. Something in his eyes—way, _way_ deep inside somewhere—I could see the concern he fought to hide. He cared for Lucy, more than others in this damn coven. That may not have been fair, though. I didn't know anyone in this coven. Lucy probably had a lot of people who loved and cared about her.

"I want to save Lucy," I said adamantly. "I'll do anything it takes."

Laxus' gaze flicked over to where Wendy still slept soundly. His eyes narrowed. "Were you two—"

"Whoa," I cut that thought off fast, holding up my hands in my own defense. "Whatever the hell is going through your mind right now is _not_ the truth. She just fell asleep, that's all. Sometimes she stays with us. She…" I sighed, "she's special."

A scoff. "No shit. I fucking _know_ Wendy is special. I'm not an idiot. And Lucy…" A deep, almost pained sigh, like the very words were too much to even think much less speak aloud, "she's special too." The murmured words were almost too low for me to hear but I managed to catch them.

I grinned. "Yeah. She's special, too. So, you got a plan, or what, lightning-scar?"

His eyes narrowed at the name but I saw his lips twitch. "Let me ask you something… what's the most important thing to bring with you when you're fishing?"

 _Fishing? The hell was that—_

 _Oh._

I groaned. "Seriously?"

He smirked. "How do you feel about acting as vamp-bait?"

 _Laxus, Sometime Three Years Earlier…_

Laxus knocked softly on the chamber door and waited for the answering voice before pushing through. He bowed at the waist immediately upon entering, eyes trained on the floor.

"Your Majesty," he greeted respectfully.

A tinkling laugh met him. "Laxus, you know you do not have to bow to me. You're family. Please, come in. I need… I need to ask a favor of you."

He worked to keep the frown off his face as he straightened and closed the door behind him. He made his way over to the figure on the bed and extended his hand. A pale, shaky hand rested in his and he kissed the top of it. "Queen Layla, what can I do to serve you?"

"Sit, please." The Queen gestured at a chair at the edge of the bed. Laxus sat, keeping his gaze lowered in respect to his Queen. "Why do you hide your gaze from me, child?" she asked gently.

He raised his gaze just a fraction. "Out of—"

"Do not tell me it is a sign of respect," she warned. "You are not my slave, you are my family. You are like the son I never had… Do not hide from me just because I have fallen ill."

Laxus blinked in surprise and lifted his gaze to meet hers. The eyes he'd gazed into for years—the brown eyes rimmed in red that used to be so full of life—were dull and lifeless now. Even the reds were hazy as if the vampire part of her was fading away too.

He worked to keep the despair off his face. "My Queen, I apologize. Please, tell me what I can do to serve you. I… I'll do anything."

Yes. He would do literally anything for his Queen. She was the very reason that he had found the love of his life, and the very reason that person was still alive today. He would never be able to repay her for saving Lilliana's life that day.

"I know what you're thinking," Layla whispered, "butit wasn't your fault, Laxus."

He sucked in a sharp breath. "I put her in that position," he said, pain evident in his voice. "If I hadn't taken her out of the coven, that vampire wouldn't have—"

"We cannot simply lock our loved ones up in a gilded cage and expect them to be okay with that," Layla told him sagely. "Sometimes we must take risks in order to allow them to _live_. It was an unfortunate twist of fate that led you and your mate into such a predicament, but it was not your doing in the slightest. There was nothing you could have done to prevent Lilliana from being attacked that day. Fate has a plan, and it does not care whether or not you try to hide from it. It will always manage to work its way in."

"But if I had just kept her by my side—"

"Weren't you listening?" Another woman in her position would've snapped, but Layla wasn't that sort of Queen and her voice was just a gentle reprimand. "Laxus, Lilliana is allowed to make her own choices. She chose to go off on her own to find her friend and you respected that decision."

He balled his hands into fists. "I want to kill that bitch."

"I know," Layla breathed. "I know. I think we all wish for death to fall upon her. There is not a soul in Fiore who finds her to be a fit Queen. Coming after innocent members of another coven is simply cowardice. But don't worry, son, fate will catch up with her one day. She will get what she deserves."

Laxus sighed and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "Alright. I guess there ain't nothing I can do about the past anyway."

Layla gave a weak smile. "Indeed."

Laxus met her gaze once more. "Oh, you had a favor?"

"Yes… I don't want this to sound like I expect your help because of anything that's happened in the past—this is not something that I do as Queen. I trust you, Laxus. I trust you with this more than anyone else."

Laxus fought back tears at that. He didn't deserve such absolute trust. He wasn't even a good person! He'd hurt people, betrayed people who trusted him, he'd—

"Laxus." The whispered name forced his gaze back up again. "We all have a colored past. In some places the colors are bright and vibrant, in others they're washed out and gray, and in others they blend together to create a new color, something less dark, but still evident of the trials one has been forced to endure.

"Your past is not all gray, my dear. There's a good man inside, I see it all the time in the way you look at your mate and take absolute care of her, and the way you serve your Queen. You're always there when I need a hand, and today…" Layla sighed deeply, "today I have to ask you the biggest favor of all."

Laxus took all of this in without so much as blinking. He tried to process what she was saying, tried to understand what she meant when she said that he was _good_ , but he just couldn't believe it to be true.

 _This is your chance,_ he thought as he looked into the Queen's watery gaze, _this is your chance to be worthy._

Finally, he gave a resolute nod. "You can trust me."

Layla gave a weak smile. "Good boy. Now listen carefully."

Laxus' body felt tenser as Layla went on, telling him exactly what she needed from him and how he should accomplish his mission.

In the end, tears were running down his cheeks despite his efforts to keep them at bay.

"Do not cry, child…" Layla crooned softly. "All is not lost. Life does go on—life _will_ go on, thanks to you. Can you do this for me, Laxus?"

 _I can't do this._

 _I have to do this._

 _It will never work._

 _It has to work._

He swallowed hard, took a deep, unnecessary breath and nodded. "You have my word."

* * *

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	36. Chapter 35: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Thirty-Five: Lucy**

 _Three Years Earlier…_

 _Disdain. Disbelief. Uncertainty. Shock._

 _These are just some of the things that greet me when I step through the doors into the Vampire Elite Council headquarters, located inside Kardia Cathedral, which I thought was a purposeful attempt at irony. Vampires in a church, ha-ha._

 _The room in which the VEC organizes its meeting is high domed and has an impressive circumference. There is a large table in the center of the room, directly under a glittering crystal chandelier with hundreds of flickering golden lights that reflect off of the two dozen or so mirrors that make up the walls—to give the room a larger feel, would be my guess. The floor is made up of shiny marble, light in color with swirls of cerulean that give the impression of walking on water; an almost dizzying sensation._

 _Currently, there is some argument about my placement, so I'm forced to stand at the side of the room while all the gathered Queens say their piece._

 _Fairy Tail has been the most feared coven for centuries—millennia probably—but whenever a new Queen is elected so suddenly, whether it be from a death like in the case of my mother, or in an instance of overpowering, there is always much debate. Or, that's what Makarov warned me of before he sent me over here._

 _As the others continue to argue that a new Queen is 'basically the same as a new coven,' and therefore should be placed at the very end of the table, I start to feel anxious and wish Makarov or Erza had come with me, just this once. Sending me to this meeting full of powerful vampire Queens and even more powerful VEC members alone is beyond cruel. I've only been Queen for less than a month, and I'm barely fifteen! But Makarov told me, apologetically so, that only the Queen is allowed to attend these meetings._

" _She doesn't deserve to be in the top spot!" Minerva from Sabertooth says. Currently, she occupies the second chair from the head of the table, leaving the first chair empty. This was my mother's chair when she would attend these meetings, but now Minerva eyes the seat with eager eyes. Clearly, she intends to try and overpower my coven and take our place at the top._

 _I glare daggers at her back and try to control myself from jumping on her and ripping her head right off her shoulders._

" _Yes," agrees the Lamia Scale Queen, "but Fairy Tail is still unquestionably the strongest coven in Fiore. That didn't disappear the moment this girl stepped up to take the throne."_

 _I almost smile, despite myself. I don't know Ooba, but from what my mother used to tell me, and from what I've gathered on my own in these last few weeks, Fairy Tail and Lamia Scale are in an unspoken alliance. Neither coven will confirm as much, but we have helped each other out on a number of occasions._

" _I was not given such a courtesy when I was crowned as Queen," Minerva snaps in return._

" _Sabertooth was already at the bottom of the rung, Queen Minerva, if you recall." Council member Lahar says this with a pointed look at the woman. She scowls at the table and doesn't say anything else._

" _If this issue has been resolved," Doranbolt, Lahar's right-hand man says, "then please, take your mother's seat, Queen Lucy." He gestures at the empty chair between him and Minerva with an encouraging smile._

 _I hesitate a moment with all those eyes on me, some hateful and glaring, some encouraging and kind._

What have I gotten myself into? _I wonder, then take my seat at the head of the table._

" _Fairy Tail will keep its rightful place," Doranbolt continues once I've taken my seat. "Until such a time comes that they no longer possess the same strength, drive, and power that they currently hold, they will remain where they are._

" _Now, shall we get on to more pressing matters?"_

 _And so my first official, biannual Vampire Elite Council meeting begins._

…

Something sharp hit me and forced me from my drug-induced sleep. I hissed through my teeth at the sudden pain and pried open my eyes. The room was blurry from the drugs and sleep and my brain slightly foggy so I couldn't immediately find the source of the pain.

Then I saw the finely polished wooden stake piercing my stomach. Wincing, I pulled the thing out and tossed it across the floor to my right. I blinked my eyes into focus and glowered around the room, a snarl on my lips when I found the culprit occupying a chair across the room, looking perfectly at ease as she stared me down.

She wore a blood-red dress and towering black stilettos with red rubies dotting the straps. A necklace with an onyx gem fell just above her cleavage, and a crown sat atop her head. The way she'd styled her hair today made it look like she had two horns behind her crown.

"Oh look, it's the Devil herself, come to inflict pain and torment," I said in a deadpan.

Minerva didn't so much as blink. "How are you liking your stay here at the most powerful coven in Fiore?" she asked as if I hadn't said anything.

"Oh, I just love it!" I replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "There's nothing more fun than being drugged and staked!"

Minerva smirked. "You should be grateful I didn't stake you through the heart."

"Yeah," I agreed flatly, "I'm _oh so_ grateful."

Minerva crossed one leg over the other and tilted her head to the side, inspecting her fingernails as if suddenly bored. I narrowed my eyes, waiting for her to _do_ something. It was obvious that she was here for a reason. I had no doubt that she was here for anything other than to inflict some kind of torture, whether that be physical or worse— _talking me to death_. I shuddered at the thought.

 _Just stake me again,_ I silently begged, _if I have to hear your voice any longer I'm going to off myself._

"I'm going to tell you a story," Minerva began. I resisted the urge to groan or stake myself through the heart. I settled for a glower at the floor, refusing to look at the woman. "Do you know how I became Queen over this coven, Lucy of Fairy Tail?" I ignored the question, partly because I _didn't fucking care_ , and partly because I had no idea. "I remember it like it was yesterday…

"I was just eighteen—just like you are now—when I grew tired of the way the current ruler was handling things around this coven. She wasn't fit to be Queen, but you see, my father discouraged me from challenging her directly."

I worked to keep the disgust off my face. I had a bad feeling about this story. Challenging a Queen was akin to a wolf challenging the alpha of a pack: it was a bloody battle to the death. Fairy Tail had no records of overpowering, but there were still far too many accounts of them occurring in other covens, particularly in Sabertooth.

"It really was so _unfortunate,_ " she continued when it was clear that I had no intention of responding. The way she said ' _unfortunate_ ' implied something sinister, making me feel sick inside. "The poor woman fell ill so suddenly." Minerva shook her head, mock pity in her tone. "It was impossible to say just how it happened, but it was only a matter of time before her body just couldn't take the pain anymore. Her body, essentially, imploded."

I felt bile rise in my throat at the image and had to choke it down.

"Of course, since I was her daughter I was the next to take over the coven, so…" She let the sentence trail off and I could _feel_ her gaze penetrating my skin like something physical.

 _I was her daughter…_

My body went rigid at the realization and I couldn't hold back my gasp of surprise. "Y-You _killed_ your own mother?" My voice was a mere breath but the disbelief was evident.

"She was not fit to be Queen," Minerva reiterated. "I've brought this coven to the top! I've made a name for us that no one will _ever_ forget now!" She laughed maniacally. I saw her gaze fall on me from the corner of my eye; it was enough to make my blood burn. "Do you want to know how a truly powerful coven does things?" She didn't wait for my response before she continued on in a low, purposeful tone. "At Sabertooth, when a new Queen is to be crowned, we follow three simple steps."

I coughed to hide a groan. I knew from experience what went into becoming a coven Queen, but I also knew that it differed for each coven; no two covens did things exactly the same in the way they governed. When I was crowned, it wasn't a particularly complicated process, though it was painful at times.

There wasn't much that went into becoming Queen, though the ritual was always sacred to our coven, at least from what I'd been told. The ceremony was the first part, but that was mostly just for show so that the other coven members could witness the crowning of the new Queen.

After that, I was led into a chamber deep within Fairy Tail, deeper than I'd ever been before, into a secret place that only Makarov and the Queen were allowed. It was cold and dark, illuminated only by the glow from a crystal that floated in the center of the circular room. I remember the fear I felt going into that room and seeing that crystal there. I wanted to take it all back and just say forget it to this whole Queen thing. But I took a deep breath and told myself that I had to be strong, for my coven, and most of all for my mother who had left this title to me. It was my birthright.

I was instructed to place both hands on the crystal. When I did, a blinding white light enveloped me and made my body and soul burn in a way I'd never experienced before. I screamed at the sensation but I was unable to move as I was pulled into the crystal.

Or, that's how it had felt to me that day.

I remember seeing a girl standing before me with flowing golden waves and no shoes. Her smile was infectious, and when I took her proffered hand all the pain disappeared at once.

Later, once I'd woken up in the bed that had once been my mother's, Makarov explained to me that I'd been out for an entire _week_ , even though it had felt instantaneous to me.

Drinking the blood from a former Queen had been the last step, but I didn't like to think about that, or where that blood had come from.

"Firstly," Minerva continued, pulling me from my thoughts, "We gather a few… pre-selected royals to drink from and have a feast."

I sweatdropped at that. Drinking blood from other vampires was the way my coven has sustained life for centuries now, but that didn't mean we made a banquet out of each other. The members we drank from were there for only two reasons. The first, because they've volunteered to do so, the second, because they've committed some crime and that was their penance. Although we almost never forced anyone to be a feeder. Our coven members _choose_ to be feeders of their own free will. What Minerva was suggesting… was just vulgar and _wrong._ Drinking blood for sustenance was one thing, but drinking from your royals… that was something I couldn't wrap my mind around. Theoretically, any royal line should have the same rights as a prince or princess, meaning no one is supposed to drink from them, even a Queen.

"The second step," Minerva said a little louder this time as if calling my attention. I continued to ignore her. "The second step; is direct injection of Queen's blood—into the heart."

I couldn't help the shudder of revulsion that rippled up my spine at the images this brought forth. Fairy Tail did something similar, but we'd never used direct injection. That was… that was just _wrong_ ; unnatural.

"And the third—oh, you'll love this one, little girl." She leaned forward slightly in her chair and it was all I could do not to flinch away from her like a huge coward. I kept my body as still as possible and tried to block out her words.

 _Don't listen to her, Lucy! Don't even listen!_

Despite the thoughts that screamed inside my head, I heard every word she spoke next.

"The next step… is penetration from the god himself."

 _God…? She couldn't mean…?_

"You see," she continued in a lilting tone, "our coven has some secrets as well. One thing that makes us so powerful…" She stood slowly and walked closer to where I sat against the wall. When she was right in front of me, she kneeled down so that we were at eye-level. In a low, even tone she said, "We hold the power of the god Zeref himself." Her hand closed around my throat.

I didn't need to breathe, but the sensation still hurt like hell and the shock from her words made it seem even worse than it probably was. Minerva's claws dug into my skin so hard I felt blood start to drip from the puncture marks she'd made. Her eyes were blazing with a power I recognized all too well—Queenly power that nearly matched my own. The last time we were in a position similar to this, it had been after the last VEC meeting when she had tried to overpower me. I'd barely been able to hold my own then, and that was without whatever drugs the blonde-haired asshole had shot into my system. I could do nothing to stop her.

"Submit your will to me, Lucy," Minerva growled lowly. "Become my servant and fall under my reign like the pathetic fly you are."

 _Pathetic fly? Has she been talking with Midnight or something?_

I had a flash of anger at the thought, thinking that this could very well be all that bastard's fault, but then I remembered Gray. Gray had admitted to betraying me and Fairy Tail coven. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't pin this on the dual-haired asshole this time.

 _Gray…_

That name didn't bring anger anymore, it brought worry. I had no idea what had happened to him after he'd disappeared from our cell. I could only hope that he was still alive—wherever he was.

Minerva's hand tightened around my throat, making me gag. "I gave you an order." Her eyes blazed red as they bored into mine. I could see the ripple of compulsion she tried to push into me to force me to obey, but she was unable to do so. It was impossible to control a Queen without her given permission.

That was exactly what she wanted, I realized. She wanted me to give up my will and submit to hers, that much was obvious, the only question now was…

"Why?"

She sneered, " _Why?_ Because you laid down your life for some pathetic excuse for human flesh."

"..."

 _Please, I beg you, take me instead. Take me in his place. I will go without a fight, just please let him go!_

 _Take me, and I'll agree to be Minerva's prisoner. I'll enter into an Act of Submission. You can't refuse that!_

I mentally facepalmed. Right… I'd said that. Technically, that statement alone gave me no choice but to surrender to her.

 _However…_

"Fine," I agreed, ignoring the look of triumph on her face, "I'll enter in an Act of Submission with you, but I won't become your servant."

She scowled. "I can force you to become my servant, you know."

I shook my head. "Actually, you can't." I knew all the loopholes, it was important for a Queen to be very specific when leading someone into an Act of Submission, one wrong word could give them the power to betray you later. I could submit to Minerva and still keep my title as Queen. Becoming her 'servant' could technically give me the same rights as any of the other Sabertooth members, _but_ , it would also strip me of my title—the very essence that is me. Becoming Queen was painful, but having that taken away from you was so much worse.

A Queen _could_ submit to another Queen, it's just unheard of. There are only a handful of records of this happening throughout history, and none of them gave a reason _why._ I wondered if others before me had been forced to submit to save those she loved, or if there had been some other reason behind it. Either way, I had no doubt that each case was similar in the sense that no Queen would willingly submit to another without cause.

"I agreed to submit to you," I continued, "but I never said I would become one of your slaves."

She sneered again. "Why, you little—"

I cut her off. "You promised to leave Natsu alone," I reminded her, "and your men have been searching for him. You haven't kept your end of the bargain, so technically I don't have to keep mine either."

"What do you think is going to happen?" she asked, hand still gripping my throat. "Do you think you're going to be rescued? Do you think you'll only be here for the weekend, until your human prince shows up to take you back to your castle? Because you're wrong, Lucy. No one is coming for you, and if they do, they'll all die trying."

 _No one is coming for you._

 _They'll all die trying._

I shivered at the fact that she was probably right, at least about that last part. I knew with certainty that _someone_ was bound to come looking for me, whether that be my coven or Natsu, I didn't know, but someone would come.

 _And they will die; because of you._

"Please leave my coven alone…" I begged, trying to swallow back the tears I felt from the fear of losing even a single member of my coven. "I will submit to you, but please don't kill my family."

"You are not in a position to bargain," Minerva spat. "If your _family_ comes near my home looking for trouble, they _will_ die, do you understand? It will not matter to me whether you submit or not, I'll still kill them if they come onto my land. That. Is. _Law_."

 _Fuck. What do I do?! I don't have a choice now… but I have to find a loophole. Think, Lucy, think!_

 _There is no other way,_ I soon realized. _I have to fight against her will. I have to try to keep what sliver of myself I can hold inside. I will not be beaten by this woman…_

I swallowed hard, cleared my throat. "I, Lucy Heartfilia," I whispered, tears now spilling down my cheeks.

 _Do this for Natsu. You have to protect him. It's the only way._

"I submit my will to you, Queen Minerva of Sabertooth."

Her sinister smile was the last thing I saw before she struck me over the head and all went black.

* * *

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	37. Chapter 36: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Thirty-Six: Natsu**

I leaned against the wall beside the door, arms folded over my chest as I watched Wendy sleep. This child, this… _innocent_ child who had absolutely no idea of what lay beyond the walls of this coven. She was smart, smarter than I had been at her age, but she still had this ideal that everything would be okay in the end; she didn't see the danger that was lurking just above her head.

" _Get rid of_ her, _"_ Laxus had told me just before leaving. _"Unless you want to involve a child in all of this. Do whatever it takes to make sure she stays away from here until we bring Lucy back."_

That was easier said than done, I knew. Wendy wasn't going to just up and leave because I asked her to. She was worried about me, more so now that Lucy wasn't around to—

 _Protect me._

I sighed heavily at the thought as a sense of dread started to sweep over me. I didn't want to be protected anymore; I didn't want to _need_ to be protected anymore! I was so tired of feeling weak and helpless. I couldn't keep doing this.

"Wendy." I shook the girl awake, ignoring the sleepy look in her eyes as she gazed up at me confusedly. It took her a moment to remember where she was; her eyes moved from me, to the room beyond, and back before understanding lit her features. Slowly, she sat up.

"What time is it, Natsu?" she asked through a yawn.

"It's time to go, Wendy," I said in as level a voice as I could manage.

Her little brows pulled together and she sat up straighter. "Go? Where are we going?"

"Not _we,_ Wendy. _You._ "

I felt her body jerk slightly in surprise. "Me? Why? What's going on?"

"I need you to leave now," I reiterated. "Go back to your room, Wendy."

She fixed me with a look. "Natsu, stop it. Why are you asking me to leave? Are you… are you worried about Lucy?"

"No," I lied, "I just… don't want you here."

Hurt flashed in her eyes, making me desperately want to take the words back—to hug her and tell her that I would never ever want her to leave—but, I knew Laxus was right. Wendy couldn't be involved in this, and if she knew what I was planning to do, she'd never let me leave.

"I-I don't believe you!" she cried. Tears pooled in her eyes. "Natsu, I don't want to go. I'm afraid something will happen to you if I leave you here alone. I can help you—"

"I don't _want_ your help, Wendy." My voice was cold and distant. I tried to keep my expression indifferent, but I wasn't sure how well I was doing. My emotions were raging inside of me, screaming at me to stop being an ass to an innocent girl. I didn't have a choice right now, I couldn't let anything bad happen to Wendy, too. It was bad enough that Lucy was a prisoner of Saber-bitch, I'd be damned if I let anything like that happen to Wendy, too.

She flinched at my tone, or maybe it was the expression on my face. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she pushed from the bed and backed away from me with an expression of pure grief and betrayal.

 _God… This kid, as if she hasn't been through enough already. An orphaned child, left for dead in a burning cabin; turned into a vampire as a young child; so many lost memories and lost faces._

The betrayal on her face was nearly enough to make me throw myself at her feet and beg for her forgiveness. I wanted to cry, too, could feel the tears stinging my eyes and threatening to spill over.

"Y-You don't… want me here?" she choked out the words, still taking slow steps backward.

"No."

"But—"

"Wendy," I cut her off before I could hear anymore of her heartbreaking words, "I want. For you. To get. Out." I emphasized the words, making them sound cold and harsh.

She flinched and the pain I saw written so clearly across her face was like a punch to the gut. But she argued no further. She spun on her heel and was out of sight before I could so much as take a breath.

"God…" I dropped to my knees and buried my face in my hands, feeling like the total asshole I was. If Lucy were here, she'd no doubt kill me for what I'd just done. But I didn't have a choice! It was the only way to make sure Wendy left and didn't return until I was no longer around. I needed her to be safe.

I stayed that way for a long time, not moving or feeling much of anything. My thoughts were solely on the mission at hand. Laxus would return from wherever the hell he was and then we'd hash out a plan to save Lucy. This would work out; this would be a success. We would save Lucy and then—

And then… what? Then life would go on as it had before? I couldn't hide anymore, not now. The whole coven didn't know about me yet, but it was surely only a matter of time before they did. The Council knew already, and once this mission was over with, I had no doubts they would either keep me as a food bank, or kick me to the curb. I honestly wasn't sure which option made me more afraid.

I sighed heavily and pushed to my feet. I paced the length of the room, muttering to myself about the absurdity of the whole situation—the unfairness of it all. I didn't know what sick plan fate had for stealing everyone I loved from me—Igneel, Lucy, and now Wendy. Anyone I ever cared about, eventually disappeared. Granted, Wendy was my fault, not fate's, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

Another hour went by before Laxus finally came pounding at my door, and when I opened it to let him in I nearly slammed it right back in his smug ass face.

"No," I said with finality before he had a chance to explain or make excuses, "not happening."

Laxus stood in the hall with the blue-haired bastard at his side, Jelless or whatever the hell his name was. Both held similar expressions of arrogance that made me want to burn them to a crisp just so I wouldn't have to look at them anymore.

"Shut up and move your dumb ass out of our way," Laxus ordered before shoving me aside and walking into the room. I scowled as the other one stepped in too with a nod in my direction. "Now, shall we begin?"

"I'm not working with _him_!" I exclaimed, jabbing a finger in the direction of the man standing near Laxus.

"Jellal is the best strategist we have," Laxus offered in his defense. "He'll be invaluable in this mission, so shut the hell up and let us make a plan to save your girlfriend."

 _Girlfriend._

The word sounded strange, hearing it aloud from the mouth of a vampire—and an arrogant asshole at that.

"Whatever," I mumbled grudgingly. I couldn't let my dislike toward cocky assholes keep me from getting Lucy back. If this _Jellar_ was going to help us, then so be it. Whatever it took to save her, I'd do it in a heartbeat. "So, anyone got a plan, or what?"

"Yeah," Laxus replied in a deadpan, "you're vamp-bait."

"..." I waited for him to continue. He didn't. "That's it?! That's all you've got?!"

The bastard just shrugged.

"Maybe we can use you as a bargaining tool instead," Jellal suggested in a casual tone.

I gaped in disbelief. "Seriously?!"

"Cool it, pinky, we're not gonna do that." Laxus rolled his eyes. I sighed in relief. "No one wants your dumb ass back anyway."

I scowled. "Do we actually have a plan, or were you just shitting me earlier?"

"I might have a plan," Jellal offered before Laxus could speak. I made a 'by all means' gesture and he continued. "We use you as bait, as Laxus said, but you're not going into Sabertooth coven."

"Wait, what?!" I pushed off the wall I'd been leaning against. "What do you mean? I want to help!"

"And you will," he replied calmly, "from the safety of these walls." I scowled at that but he ignored me. "Natsu, you will stand on Sabertooth's side of the border and just…"

"Look delicious," Laxus filled in.

"That would be helpful," Jellal agreed.

 _Seriously?_ I thought. _Look delicious? That's all?_

"Seriously?" I asked aloud.

Jellal went on, ignoring me. "You will wait on their side of the border until one of them picks up your scent. Laxus and I will stay hidden on Fairy Tail's border until we either hear or see someone from Saber coming your way."

"At which point we will jump in and save your human ass from becoming vamp-chow," Laxus finished.

I scowled. "So I just stand there and wait for someone to smell me? That's your big plan?"

They both nodded.

"It's the best way to get inside," Jellal explained. "Once we have the Saber-vamp in our sights, we will threaten him until he agrees to take us inside."

"And then you'll…what, walk around and hope you stumble across Luce?" I asked incredulously. Surely they had a better plan than that.

Laxus rolled his eyes. "You dumbass. Did you forget that we have exceptional smell and hearing? We can smell Her Royal Highness from miles away. Especially _now._ " He gave me a pointed look.

"What?" What did I do?

Jellal chuckled. "It's nearly impossible to tell the difference between Her Majesty and this boy, Laxus."

Laxus shook his head and folded his arms stubbornly across his chest. "Nah. I can tell the difference. This _human_ smells nothing like Queenie."

"Perhaps your sense of smell is getting weak in your old age," Jellal offered in a mocking tone.

Laxus seethed. "Why, you piece of—"

" _So_!" I exclaimed loudly to cut off their banter. "You're going to just waltz in there and sniff out Lucy?"

"Yes," Jellal answered with a nod. "We will get to Lucy as fast as we can and get her back out, hopefully before anyone from Sabertooth realizes we're in there."

"Can you use whoever you threaten to get inside as a hostage?" I suggested.

Laxus snorted. "Sabertooth ain't like us, kid. Not one of them gives a shit if their own gets snatched or killed. The only thing they care about is making their coven bigger and badder. Their ultimate goal is to become number one."

"What's standing in their way?"

"We are," Jellal answered with a vague gesture around the room.

 _Oh. Right._

So Fairy Tail was the top dog—er, _vamp_ —and Sabertooth wanted to overtake them. It made sense, somewhat, why Minerva would be especially angry that their Queen had taken me in. I knew without a doubt that the main reason Minerva wanted me back was more out of a perverse need to have absolute control. If Lucy had me, then she couldn't control her _or_ me. Minerva hated feeling out of control. I'd learned that fast while living with her.

I recalled how her father had turned up that last day and tried to kill me. The way he'd spoken to her… I'd never seen another vampire talk to the Queen that way. I almost pitied her in that moment—almost. Her dad was a scary dude… I didn't think anyone deserved to be treated like that, even someone as evil as Minerva. Maybe she was the way that she was because of how she'd been brought up. If she grew up with a demon father, it was no wonder she turned out just as bad.

Even so, that was no excuse to take it out on innocent people—like me and Luce. And if it came down to it, I'd choose Lucy over her in a second. Even if I have to go straight through Minerva to get to her.

"...hear what I said, idiot?" Laxus was saying.

I shook my head to clear the thoughts from my head. "What?"

"He said you'd better not follow us inside Sabertooth if you value your pathetic human soul," Jellal repeated helpfully.

"..."

"Yeah, so don't even fucking think about," Laxus warned.

 _They want me to sit back and wait for them to rescue Lucy. How the fuck am I supposed to do that? I can't just wait around for them and hope for the best! I have to do something; I have to save her._

"Hey, Nalu—"

"Natsu," I corrected automatically.

"—I can see the idiotic thoughts churning in that dumbass brain of yours," Laxus said, "so just rewind those thoughts, and reset your brain. Your _only_ job is to attract Sabertooth onto the surface. Once we step in, you leave. Run your happy ass back to the coven and fucking stay there. We'll take care of the rest."

"You… want me to stay at your coven?" I asked in disbelief. "Even though I'm a human?"

"Tch. I don't _want_ you to," Laxus corrected, "but Queenie will cut my head off if I just let you go."

"Oh, so you're afraid of hurting our darling Queen's feelings," Jellal quipped, smirking.

Laxus balled his hands into fists. "Say one more word, Blue!"

Jellal's smirk grew, but he said no more.

 _Stay behind like a fucking coward…_ I thought as the two argued around me. _If something happens to Luce because I was too chicken-shit to go in and fight for her, I'd never forgive myself. I have to do something._

 _But what if I just get in the way and screw everything up for them?_

 _Or, maybe the Saber-vamps will be attracted to my scent and they'll come find_ me _, leaving Laxus and Jellal alone to find and rescue Lucy._

 _Then again, Laxus and Jellal could smell me too and that would ruin everything…_

 _Gah!_

My thoughts were spinning, unable to come to any solution that would help. I couldn't sit back and just hope that everything would be okay, but I couldn't just rush in there, either.

 _Maybe…_

Yes! I knew what to do. I would give them an hour to go in and find Lucy, and if they weren't back by then I'd go in myself. Of course, I would keep this change of plan to myself, in case they decided not to let me help at all.

"What time do we meet?" I asked.

Jellal was the one who answered. "Tomorrow night, just after sunset. That's when we get our Queen back."

* * *

 **A/N** : Dun dun dun~ XD So everyone has been so quiet lately! Where is everyone?! Hiding? Lost? Mad at me for all the cliffhangers? Don't be mad, all! You gotta let me know your thoughts on this one. What do you think is going down? Can anyone predict the end? It's drawing near, folks! Maybe 15-20 more chapters left, give or take. It's inevitable, guys. It has to happen. BUT... actually, no, that's top secret information *seals lips* I plead the fifth! XD Anyway, some feedback would be awesome, so let me know what you think and how you're all doing!


	38. Chapter 37: Layla

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Thirty-Seven: Layla**

 _Today was the day their lives changed; for better or for worse, today changed everything._

It was the year 766, September thirteenth to be exact, the day of her wedding; the day her world changed; the day her life became fused with another for the rest of eternity.

Layla was still young for a vampire. At just nineteen years to the day, she was one of the youngest Queens in Fairy Tail's history. She wasn't ready to take the crown and become ruler over an entire coven all on her own. Sure, she would have the aid of her fellow Council members—she would get advice and suggestions—but for the most part all decisions would fall on her shoulders. She would make the final call on all official decisions, just as her mother had before her.

Layla was in the throne room, already clothed in a simple ivory gown that fell around her ankles with a silvery ribbon around her waist and another in her long blonde hair, pulling back the strands from her face. This was how Jude liked her hair; he didn't like the locks to get in the way of her delicate facial features, he'd said so on many occasions.

She needed to please him.

Layla's friend, Virgo, was tending to her makeup, just enough to accentuate her vivid eyes and smooth out the palette of her face, nothing more. She liked it this way, and Jude didn't mind if she wore makeup or not, he always told her she was beautiful no matter what she did with her appearance. It was one of the things she loved about him.

 _Love._

Perhaps that was too strong of a word.

Jude was a direct descendant of Mavis herself, as was Layla, which made the pair technically related, in some way. She wasn't exactly sure _how_ they were related, but they each bore the name Heartfilia, and that was all that mattered. She needed to mate with someone who could help her carry on the name to a future ruler, her mother had instructed her. Another Heartfilia was the only way to ensure this feat.

Layla didn't love Jude, exactly. She'd entered into this marriage as a sort of mutual agreement between them as a way to carry on their bloodline. She enjoyed spending time with him, however. He was an excellent listener; he could stay silent for hours, just listening to her tell him stories.

He was a friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

Except, after today, he would also be her mate, her partner, and the father of her child.

Today wouldn't be a celebration. Layla and Jude would enter into a mating contract and be bound for eternity, there was nothing more to it. Tonight, once their Claim had been sealed, they would lie together for the first time. This would repeat this for three more days to ensure conception. Layla would become pregnant, and in some months, she would give birth to a baby girl, who would then become the future ruler of Fairy Tail coven.

Layla met with Jude before the Council of Fairy Tail, who sat in a line on either side of the great throne belonging to Fairy Tail's monarch—Layla's throne, the throne she'd been given just three short months ago, before she was asked to take a mate.

To the right of the throne sat Makarov and Porlyusica, to the left Laxus and Lilliana. In the throne as acting monarch, sat Mirajane Strauss, who would be the one to wed the couple. The others were there as witnesses to this exchange.

The ceremony was short and to the point. Mirajane invited them to step forward and join hands before the Council, then recited the words that would bind them as mates.

"We are here to witness the binding of these two souls," Mira recited effortlessly from her seat. Two identical silver bands sat on a velvet pillow in her lap alongside a small, sharp blade. "On this day, September the thirteenth of the year 766, Jude and Layla commit themselves to a lifetime of servitude, not only to each other, but also to their coven.

"Layla, our dear Queen, has agreed to enter into this mateship to carry on her legacy, to continue the work of our great first Queen, Mavis Vermillion-Heartfilia, the rock on which Fairy Tail coven was created."

At this, everyone took a moment of silence in respect of the late Queen.

"Layla, entering into this mateship will forever bind you to this man, Jude Heartfilia. Your souls will unite and your fates will become one in the same. For as long as either of you shall live, you will be entwined in soul and spirit, like two suns colliding.

"Jude," Mira turned to the blonde at her side next and repeated the words.

"Now, who was the one to lay Claim?" Mira asked them.

Layla averted her gaze as Jude stepped forward and gave a brief bow. "I was," he said. A flash of surprise crossed Mira's features but she quickly recovered and nodded to Jude to continue. "Ten days ago I laid my Claim on Layla."

Mira nodded. "Show me."

Layla stepped forward and brushed her hair to the side to reveal the mark he'd left on her left shoulder blade, something like a jagged 'H' next to a smaller 'x'.

"Very well," Mira nodded and Layla pulled her hair back to cover the mark. "It is time to place the bands."

Layla and Jude stepped forward as Makarov stood from his chair and picked up the two rings. He held one in each hand as he approached the couple.

"These rings represent the unification of two separate lives joining as one; two souls fusing together to create a whole.

"Layla, please take this ring." Makarov handed her the smaller of the two bands, which she held in her open palm. "Jude, please take this ring." He handed the larger to Jude, who did the same as Layla.

Makarov held his hands palm down over the rings and closed his eyes. A faint glow emitted from the space between his hands and theirs. The rings rose half a centimeter from their palms and the barest spark shot out between them like a tiny bolt of lightning.

"With these rings, your union is hereby sealed." Makarov moved his hands to his sides—the rings were now in place on the appropriate fingers. He took a step back and dropped to his knees before the couple. The others in the room followed suit.

Layla waited for the overwhelming sensation of pure joy and happiness and elation to come. She waited… and waited. Nothing happened. She wondered why the happiness wouldn't come. This was her wedding day. She was now officially mated. She should be excited, right?

She glanced up at Jude, who gave her something resembling a smile, though it didn't exactly touch his eyes. She looked back at the gathered Council before them. "All rise," she said.

They did, some with obvious tears of happiness in their eyes.

 _You are happy,_ she forced herself to smile. _You want this._ She _was_ happy, so why did she have to force a smile?

"Now, we celebrate!" Mira declared, wiping happy tears from her eyes. Her excitement was contagious, Layla had to admit, and she found herself giving a genuine smile in return.

…

A celebratory party for the newlywed couple was in full swing. It was much too grand for Layla's taste, everything decorated in pure Mirajane style, complete with ice sculptures, crystal chandeliers, a chocolate fountain, and extravagant dishes she had absolutely no name for and no desire to eat.

Jude was nowhere to be seen—he was somewhere mingling in the crowd, she thought—and Layla was growing anxious with all the commotion. She wasn't one for parties in general, but especially parties Mira threw, which were always over-the-top. She had spoken with nearly every person in the entire coven by this point and was in desperate need of a break from it all. She understood why everyone wanted her attention—after all not only was she Queen but now she was a bride—but that didn't mean she had the emotional energy to deal with it all. So, she took the first opportunity she could find to slink away, claiming to a group of chatty women that she needed the ladies room.

She sighed in relief when she closed the door to the throne room behind her, shutting out the noise of her kin. She leaned against it for a moment and closed her eyes. She just needed a moment to collect herself…

 _Married. I am now married. I am a Queen, and a mate, and soon-to-mother, if all goes according to plan._

"Your Majesty," a hard voice cut into her thoughts and made her jump—she hadn't even heard them walk up.

"Erza," Layla blinked and felt moisture drip from her eyes. She swiped them away quickly, but not before the redhead saw.

"You're crying," she stated. Her expressions were always hard to read, Layla thought. It was nearly impossible to tell what this woman was thinking at any given time. She, like her mate, was a master at indifference. However, unlike Jellal, Layla had a feeling Erza's indifference was natural, and Jellal's had been self-taught years ago due to circumstances.

"I'm just…" What? She was what? This was her wedding day. She was elated! She was—

"Unhappy," Erza finished for her, face softening.

Layla blinked in surprise. "No, I'm not—"

"You are," she insisted. "Layla, I've known you for a very long time, since we were both young, I can tell when you are unhappy."

Could she really? Was Layla's unhappiness really so obvious? She thought she was doing a good job at hiding the fact, but then, Erza was right, she'd always been able to tell when Layla wasn't happy.

She sighed and leaned against the wall. "It's all so overwhelming."

"I can only imagine," Erza conceded. She stayed standing in the middle of the floor, arms crossed over her chest in her typical way, expression somewhere between stern and caring. "It cannot be easy to become Queen and then be married in a matter of weeks."

Layla looked away, unable to hold Erza's knowing eyes another moment. "Yes. It is… much harder than I anticipated."

"How could anyone possibly anticipate something like this?" Erza's voice was hard, but not unkind. "It's all so horrible, what happened to your parents."

Layla blinked away more tears. Yes, her parents had both died quite suddenly, it was why Layla had taken the throne at such a young age. Her parents had been attacked whilst on their way to a biannual VEC meeting five weeks ago. The only reason Layla's father had gone as well, was because this meeting was a special event for monarchs and their mates. This kind of thing was a rare occurrence and this was the first time it had happened in the nineteen years Layla had been alive. She wasn't even sure how often it was held, only that it didn't happen often.

Reportedly, while her parents were on there way to Kardia Cathedral to attend the meeting, a group struck out and killed them both. There were five accounts of this happening within a five-hour time period. Five Queens and their mates—dead.

"It's horrible," Layla agreed at last, "but I cannot be afraid." She glanced back up at Erza, determination in her gaze. "I will not let this bury me, Erza. I cannot stand down now, not when I have a coven to protect."

Erza smiled. "Of course, Your Majesty. No one expects anything less from a Heartfilia."

Layla nodded. Yes, it was her duty as a Heartfilia to take care of this coven. That was why she'd agreed to marry Jude just weeks after her parents deaths. She had a duty to her coven, but also to her parents. It was their wish for her to marry Jude, so she must honor them even in death.

"Your Majesty," Erza said slowly, "is there something else on your mind?"

 _How does she always know?_

"It is nothing of importance," she answered vaguely.

"Layla." The name was a sharp command that forced the young Queen to glance up. "You do not have to hide from me."

She held Erza's steady gaze, the irises such an interesting mix of red and brown, with a brighter red circle around. Her gaze was strong and determined, but there was a softness in there too.

Layla sighed. "I'm nineteen, Erza, and since I've been mated I will never be older than this. I'm just afraid that no one will ever take me seriously with such a youthful appearance. No one is going to follow a child."

"Layla, my Queen, that will not be the case," Erza assured her. "The Heartfilia's have been a respected line for millennia, yes, but we also respect _you_ as a person. You have always done your part to help everyone in the coven, no matter what it was. There is not a sole person in this place who does not respect you, and who will not follow you where you may lead us. We trust you, Layla Heartfilia. No one will think less of you for having a youthful body.

"Besides," Erza added, "you make the best damn strawberry cake this coven has ever seen, and that's something to be proud of."

Layla choked on a laugh at the redhead's serious tone. She wiped tears from her eyes and put on a genuine smile. "You're right, Erza, I do have something to offer this coven." Although, that thing wasn't her ability to create baked goods. "I will do my best with what I have. Thank you for talking with me. You've always been such a good friend."

Erza nodded. "Of course. I'm always around, if you need me. Jellal, too."

"I appreciate that." She looked back at the door with a resigned expression. "I suppose we better head back inside before people start to come looking for me."

Erza smiled. "Lead the way, Your Majesty."

 _Two Weeks Later…_

"I just don't see the purpose of this endeavor," Jude argued for the fifth time that evening. "This is ridiculous."

"It is not ridiculous, and it is my decision to make," Layla insisted, not unkindly.

She was putting the last signatures to the paperwork she needed to finalize before they left. There was always mounds of paperwork that never seemed to come to an end. This particular stack was authorization for the groups that would be going to the surface that evening.

There would be three groups: Erza and Jellal would be going with Layla—by Erza's insistence—Mira, Alzack, and Bisca would make up the second group, and Gildarts had insisted upon making up his own group. Layla had agreed to it, mostly because she knew he was one of their strongest men, and also because no one had volunteered to go with him.

"It's not safe for a Queen," Jude continued to argue. "You should stay inside the coven where you can be protected."

"Are you going to tell me that Erza Scarlet-Fernandez can't protect me?" Layla raised an eyebrow at her husband.

He quirked something like a smile. "Perhaps so," he conceded, "but that doesn't mean I feel good about you going up to the surface. You're my mate now, I want you to be safe."

She gave him a soft smile and sidled up to him. "Do not worry, Jude. I'll be just fine." She reached up onto her toes and pecked his lips. "I'll be back before sunrise."

"You better be," he growled after her.

 _I will be,_ she silently promised.

…

Layla, Erza, and Jellal were on the western side of Fairy Tail's border, near the stretch of desert that spanned a good ten miles before the next coven border was reached. It was open territory right now, with no real purpose. Which was why, Layla realized too late, she had been assigned this particular post.

"This is a sham," she grumbled as she paced back and forth across the border between the forest and the desert. "I wanted to see some action."

Erza snorted a laugh. "You do have your ancestors fighting spirit inside you."

"I heard Mavis was quite the spitfire, too," Jellal agreed.

Layla ignored them. She didn't fight to come to the surface because she wanted to watch an endless stretch of dirt spinning across the landscape, she'd wanted to _do_ something, to _experience_ something. She knew it was childish of her, but she couldn't help it. She was Queen, but she was still young. There was so much she'd yet to experience!

"Don't be upset, Highness," Jellal told her gently. "This area is not always so quiet. Perhaps we will see something after all."

Layla pouted, which was unbecoming of a Queen but she didn't have the energy to care. She saw Erza and Jellal exchanging amused glances from the corner of her eye. She ignored that, instead focusing with all her senses on what was around her.

 _A soft breeze… leaves rustling in the trees… a bird's song from far off… water trickling in a river… and… what is that?_

Layla focused harder, eyes pinched shut and ears perked. She dropped to the ground, claws digging into the earth.

"What is it?" Erza asked in a low tone, immediately catching on.

"I don't hear anything," Jellal murmured.

 _What is that…? It's like… pain. I can feel it. Someone is crying out._

 _I have to go to them._

Layla turned back toward the forest and flashed away from them so fast, they had a moment of stunned surprise where they just stared at the empty space of air she'd left behind before finally tearing after her.

 _I have to find them. They're crying out!_

 _Where are you? Speak to me; tell me where you are!_

She stopped abruptly in the middle of the trees, so suddenly Erza and Jellal flashed right by her. She was listening, feeling, waiting.

 _There._

She ran as fast as she could until she reached what used to be a stone building. It had collapsed completely in on itself, so it was only recognizable as a building based on the foundation below, and the red flag that still swayed proudly in the breeze.

Erza and Jellal finally caught up to her then and started to say something, expressions a mix of worry and irritation. She held up a hand to silence them and slowly approached the rubble. Something was calling out to her…

Finally, a piece of the stone moved, just barely, only enough for her to sense its vibration. She flashed to the place and immediately began removing the stone blocks.

"Help me!" she called to the others.

They were by her side in an instant, helping to move stone out of the way. There was a collective gasp when a figure appeared beneath the ruins. Dark auburn hair, pointed ears, a long, jagged scar running down one eye, bleeding profusely.

"Oh!" She couldn't help her shriek of surprise. The man was broken and bruised and beaten in so many places she couldn't even begin to count.

"There are more," Jellal murmured and began removing blocks from another place. Two more figures were revealed, each in similar conditions, though neither were as bad as the first. One had shocking white hair like Mira, and the other had dual-colored hair, black on top and white underneath. They were a strange looking bunch, Layla thought.

"Your Highness, how did you know where this group was?" Jellal asked. "I didn't hear anything from that far away."

"It wasn't so much a _sound_ as it was a _feeling_ ," she answered. "I felt their souls crying out."

"Erg." The pointy-eared man groaned, calling back Layla's focus.

"You're okay!" she exclaimed, elation filling her. But… that cut, it was deep, deeper than any she'd ever seen, and based on the width of it, she could tell it had been made by a fang.

 _I can fix that,_ she thought. _I can—_

"Don't even think about it, Queenie," he hissed, eyes still screwed shut. "I don't need help from a damn fairy."

Layla rolled her eyes and reached down with one hand to pluck him out of the rubble. She laid him down on his back, watching as he winced in pain. "Silence, boy," she chided, leaning down to inspect the cut further. "Your eye—"

"Don't need it," he growled.

She ignored that and leaned down slowly—the man visibly tensed. She pressed her lips to the cut for a moment, then ran her tongue lightly across it to seal it. His hiss of pain soon turned into a relieved groan as she sat back.

"Not my best work," she observed dryly.

"Should've used more tongue," Jellal suggested helpfully. Erza shushed him.

"Why were you and your comrades left here to die?" Layla inquired of the man.

His good eye opened and narrowed at her in something like disgust. "The Asshole Council doesn't care about us," was all he said.

"Well, _I_ care."

Surprise flickered across his features but was soon replaced with a scowl. "You're an idiot then."

"I'd like to offer you and your friends solace with me and my coven."

"Your Majesty!" Erza gasped. "You cannot be serious!"

"Tch. You obviously have no idea who we are, Queenie, or you'd never make such a ridiculous offering," the man spat.

"You are Erik of the Oración Seis," Layla answered immediately. More surprise registered on his face. "And your friends are Midnight and… Sorano? Or is it Angel? I can never keep up with all the name changes, it's quite tiring."

"Y-You…" Erik tried. " _Why_ , then, would you offer us a place in your coven? Don't you know of the crimes we have committed? The Elite Council wants us destroyed."

"Is that who did this to you?" Layla asked in horror.

Erik avoided her gaze. "Doesn't matter. We got what we had coming to us."

Layla registered the movement of the other two, heard them groaning as they woke up, but decided to ignore them in favor of focusing on Erik.

"Erik, everyone deserves a second chance at redemption," she told him sagely. "Everyone deserves freedom and atonement."

 _Let me give that to you,_ she silently begged. _Let me help you. I will guide you toward the freedom you seek._

"Tch, freedom. What freedom comes from living with flies?" the one called Midnight seethed.

"Shut the hell up," Erik snapped in his direction. "What's this gonna cost us, girl?" His one eye scanned over her quickly. "You look a little young to be Queen. Your mommy up and abandon her throne?"

"My parents were both killed recently," she said in a dead voice. "Vampire hunters."

Gasps.

"I want you all to submit to me," she went on. "Agree to become members of Fairy Tail coven, and I will protect you as my kin. You may pursue your own freedom, so long as you also swear not to harm any member of my coven, ever. Is that understood?" She spoke solely to Erik, even as she heard the two others protesting in the background. She held his wary gaze with her own determined one, pleading with him to see the truth in her eyes.

 _Trust me._

"...Alright," he agreed at last, "I accept your terms."

"The hell I'm going to live with flies, Cobra," Midnight growled.

"I would sooner be buried back under this rubble than submit to another Queen." Sorano said haughtily.

Erik shot them a hard look, instantly silencing them.

"You must keep your comrades in line," Layla warned.

"I swear. You have my word… my Queen."

 _Two Months Later…_

Layla was ecstatic for the first time in what felt like years as she ran down the halls, twirling like a child, singing out in her soft, melodic voice. She passed a few others on her way to her destination, who all gave her amused smiles as she raced past them.

 _I am so happy! I can't wait to tell him! He'll be so pleased!_

When she reached the door to her bedroom, she slammed into it in her haste to get inside. She squeaked in pain, then pushed the door open.

"Jude~!" she sang out. "I have news!"

She felt like a child on Christmas morning. She was certain she had never been so happy, not when she was crowned as Queen, not when she'd been married. This… this was special.

"What is it now, Layla?" came the flat reply. She followed the voice into the bathroom where Jude was showering. Now she could hear the telltale sounds of water running—she had been too excited before to notice.

"Jude, I have great news!" she spoke through the glass wall that separated them.

"Yeah, so tell me."

"Jude, it's positive." She could hardly contain her excitement. She was bursting at the seams, waiting for him to fling open the shower door and look down at her with wonder and happiness.

"What's positive?" he asked.

"The test, silly! I'm pregnant!"

"..."

She waited… and waited. Silence.

She frowned. "Did you hear me? Jude?"

The water turned off, the shower door opened, Jude stepped out. "Hand me a towel, will you?"

She blinked in confusion. "O-Okay…" She passed him the towel. "Jude, did you hear the news? We're going to have a—"

"Yeah, I heard," he said dismissively as he dried himself off. "Can you give me some space now, Layla? I need to finish getting ready."

 _Hurt. Rejection. Sorrow._

"Alright…"

He slammed the door behind her and locked it. Pain shot through her at his complete indifference to her news. She thought he would be happy to hear they were pregnant, it was what was expected of them, after all. They had to carry on the Heartfilia bloodline.

 _I don't care,_ she thought adamantly. _He'll change his mind. He will be happy, too, I know it. And if he isn't… I'll be happy for the both of us._ She placed a hand on her still-flat stomach. _I'll love you, baby._

…

The next few months went by in a blur. Jude remained aloof, Layla continued to hold the hope that he would change, that he would learn to be happy. Her stomach grew more each week, but this seemed to only add to Jude's irritation. He no longer tried to touch her, to kiss her or hold her close at night when they were falling asleep as he used to. He'd grown cold; distant.

However, today was the day they found out the gender of their child. Today was the day everything turned around for them, Layla was certain. She desperately prayed to Mavis that she would have a baby girl—a daughter who could carry on the crown after Layla could no longer hold it. She had mixed feelings about this, though. On the one hand, she wanted to have a daughter desperately, for the purpose of the crown, but also for her own personal reasons. On the other hand… she didn't want this life for her child. She didn't want her child to have to carry the burden—the heavy weight—of ruling a coven. But, she also knew that if this baby wasn't a daughter, she and Jude would be expected to conceive again, soon, and she wasn't sure she wanted that, either.

 _I'm so selfish!_ she thought as she and Jude waited for the results to confirm. He'd come with her to this appointment, much to her surprise, but so far he hadn't said a single word, even when the doctor tried to ask him questions.

Porlyusica was the coven's doctor. She took care of all medical needs: illnesses, pregnancy, wounds, etc. Layla always thought she was a grouchy old woman, but she had a kind heart deep down—way, _way_ deep down…

"Are you ready for the results?" she asked the couple. Her tone and expression gave away nothing. Layla wondered if this was something doctors had to learn—a sort of poker face—or if it was just a personality trait of the brash woman. Probably the latter, she decided after a moment.

Layla steeled herself for bad news and nodded.

Porlyusica turned her clipboard around to face them. One word was written in neat, even script: Girl.

Layla wanted to cry with both joy and terror. A baby girl, she'd done it. She had fulfilled her duty to her coven, to her husband, and to her bloodline. She would not have to conceive again except by choice.

The chair next to her creaked and she looked over to see Jude's hands clutching the wooden sides of the chair so tightly the wood splintered and cracked. Taking in the flashing red of his eyes—a murderous expression—she gaped and leaned away from him.

"Jude!" she exclaimed in horror. "Why are you so angry?"

He turned on her, eyes still flashing. " _Why_?" His voice was a low hiss. "If you have to ask me that then you really are as idiotic as my father claims."

"J-Jude!" Layla gasped.

"That is highly uncalled for, Mr. Heartfilia," Porlyusica chided.

Jude scoffed. "Uncalled for? Mind your own fucking business. You're just a doctor anyway. Don't worry about our personal matters." He stood to his feet and walked out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

 _Do not cry. Do not cry,_ she coached herself. She felt the tears threatening, felt her whole body go rigid, but she couldn't cry, not now. It was her duty to be strong—for her.

"Your Majesty, Layla." The blonde looked up to meet the doctor's eyes. "You are a strong, capable woman, but that does not mean you must stay that way always. It's okay to break down."

Tears blurred her eyes. She blinked them away furiously, cleared her throat. "No, I can't. I mustn't. If I let the tears come now… I may never be able to stop them."

"My dear, tears are not a weakness."

"They are if you're Queen to a coven of this size!" she argued. "Porly, I can't be seen as weak, not when I'm just starting to gain credibility and respect."

"Layla, your family is highly respected. That will not change just because you're emotions aren't perfectly aligned from time to time." The elder woman patted her on the head—a little too roughly. "Go on, girl. Get out of my office. You'll be fine. Show that meathead of a husband who's boss."

Layla cracked a smile. "Thanks, Porly."

…

Five days. That was how long it took before Jude finally came back to their shared quarters.

"Jude!" She sprang up from the chair she'd been sitting in, trying to read over some documents. "Where have you been?"

"Out," came the blunt response.

"For five days you were 'out'?" she asked bitterly.

He turned a glare her way that was enough to make her flinch and back down. "Don't fucking worry about it, Layla. I had to get the hell away from _you_ and…" a quick glance at her swollen stomach, " _that._ "

"Jude… she's our daughter. Why are you so angry?"

"I never wanted a child," he spat at her. He bore down on her now, coming closer, forcing her to back up. "My father insisted that I marry you and bear children with you, but do you know what, Layla?" Her back hit the wall. His face was inches from hers. She could see the reds in his eyes flashing a warning at her. His voice was a menacing growl when he spoke again. "I never wanted you. Not even once. The only reason I even agreed to this ridiculous arrangement was because of my father's insistence and because you're a pretty little thing." He traced a finger down her jaw. She flinched away from it.

"How can you say such things to me, Jude?" she cried. "After all we've been through?" She turned back to him, pleading with him, searching for answers in his cold gaze. "We were always best friends. What changed?"

He scoffed. "Friends. Tch. I only pretended to be your friend so I could get closer to you, but I never wanted _this_ ," a tap to her wedding ring, "and I especially didn't want _that,_ " a hard poke to her stomach. "So just stay the fuck out of my way. Have your _daughter_. I don't want to have anything to do with her."

"Stop!" Layla shrieked, tears pouring from her eyes now. He looked ready to say something else, but she reached out a quick hand and wrapped it around his throat, nails digging in. His eyes went wide as hers focused on them. "I. Said. To. _Stop_." she growled, emphasizing each word. She'd had enough of that. He could play the dominant all he wanted, but _she_ was the true predator here.

His pupils retracted as she forced his gaze to stay fixed on hers. "I know our parents forced this marriage on us," she said, voice now flat but edged with command, "but that is no reason for you to act like an arrogant asshole. I don't give a damn whether you want to marry me or not—this is our life now. We are mates. That isn't going to change because you start screwing around behind my back."

Surprise flickered in his eyes. "How do you know about—"

"I'm not stupid, Jude," she hissed. "I could smell her on you from a mile away; I could feel the blackness in your soul crying out. You aren't above redemption, Jude. You do not have to act this way."

He clenched his teeth. "I despise you."

"No, you despise feeling powerless," Layla corrected. She tightened her grip on his throat just enough to prick the surface of skin. "You hate that you will never be more powerful than me, no matter how much anger and hatred you throw at me. You will not treat me as some bug beneath your shoe that you want to squash. I am your mate, Jude, _and_ your Queen. Treat me with some respect, dammit!"

She was seething, more angry than she'd ever been in her life. Layla wasn't an angry person by nature—she was sweet and kind and level-headed—but she'd had enough of Jude trying to overpower her. Now, he was just being an ass. There was no need for that.

Finally, she let him go and he dropped to his knees before her, one hand clutching his bleeding throat. Layla watched him for a moment, the way his body shook with rage and his free hand clenched into a fist at his side; he wouldn't meet her gaze.

 _Coward,_ she thought. He talked a big game, but he knew she could put him in his place, deep down.

"Am I making myself clear, Jude?" she demanded—the force of her tone made him look up. His eyes were full of venom.

"Yes, L… _Queen_." The word was spat at her like a curse, not a title.

"Good boy."

She ignored his scathing look as she turned on her heel and disappeared out the door.

 _About Eight Years Later…_

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. There's nothing more I can do."

Layla had been bedridden for months now, unable to perform any of her duties around the coven. This sickness that plagued her didn't look like it was ever going to go away.

 _An incurable disease; untreatable; fatal._

That's what Porlyusica had told her, not once, but four times now. Four times in four months. Still, she came back per the doctor's request and tried to find some small bit of healing. Thus far, her condition only got worse, not better.

 _I have to pull through this—for her._

She absolutely could _not_ leave her daughter with that man. She would never forgive herself if something terrible happened because she wasn't there to protect her. Lucy was her life now, even more so than the rest of her coven, she had to admit. She loved her coven and wanted nothing more than to protect them all… but this was her _daughter_ —an innocent child. She had to be protected at all costs.

"What is going through your head, Layla?" Porlyusica asked. She still hovered nearby, face set in her usual scowl, arms folded across her chest. Somehow, this was a comforting sight.

"I'm worried about Lucy," she admitted. "I don't want my daughter to grow up without a mother like I did."

"I don't think that's the reason you're worried," Porlyusica accused mildly.

Layla sighed. "That's partly true, but…"

"You're more worried about leaving her with _him_ ," she guessed. Layla said nothing. "Yes, I understand. It's quite obvious the way he treats her."

"I don't want him to harm her…" Layla whispered. "I can't ever trust him with her."

"We will take care of the girl," Porlyusica promised. "Fairy Tail will keep her safe."

Layla gave her a weak smile. "Thank you."

"But don't even think about giving up, do you hear me?" The elder woman commanded fiercely. "It will be such an inconvenience."

Layla's smile grew just the slightest bit. "I promise," she whispered, "I will never give up fighting for those I love."

 _Lucy's Fifteenth Birthday… 4:30 A.M._

It was the silence that woke her, an ominous prickling sensation on her skin, like a sixth sense. Her eyes opened a crack, but the lids were so heavy, she couldn't open them more than that.

"Lay...la," came a voice, distorted and distant. It was familiar, but her sick brain was not quite able to put a name to it. "...know… am?"

 _What is he saying? His voice sounds like it's coming to me from underwater. I can't focus on it!_

"This...last...day...Queen," the voice garbled. Layla tried to remember who the voice belonged to, tried to peel back her eyelids to _see_ who stood before her. She could feel his presence near her where she lay in bed; could feel the blackness of his soul trying to wrap around hers; to smother her.

"N-N," she tried to speak, but words did not come.

"D...worry. Y…'ll be...ine now. Good...ight...la."

Her entire body froze as something seized it, paralyzingly her at once.

Her eyes flew open of their own accord—

—and landed on a familiar face.

"Why?" she croaked out through the pain that consumed her. She felt like her body was slowly deteriorating, felt skin and bone turn to rot in minutes.

 _This is not possible!_ she thought in agony. _What is happening to me?!_

"I have your soul now, Layla."

* * *

 **A/N** : A little bit of a different chapter for you guys. And a loooooong one! I didn't intend for it to be this long, but there was a lot of information I needed to add in. I hope nothing was too confusing, but there are some parts that I purposely made vague because you all know how I am with cliffhangers and breadcrumbs *winks* Yeah, you all love it and hate it! Still, feel free to comment and ask questions if you need to. I MIGHT answer them, unless it's a purposeful cliffhanger thingy. Then I'll let you know!

Oh, thank you guys so much for the reviews last week! I know all too well what it is to be so busy you literally don't have the time or energy to do anything, so those of you who told me you've been busy, I totes get it. No worries! Thank you for being the awesome readers you are and continuing to support me and this story. It means so much to me. And just the fact that you take the extra time to read my A/Ns too shows me how much you care. You guys are amazing, and I hope to keep on giving you entertainment for a long time! Thank you all!

 **ThayetJade** , Oh! I just moved recently as well so I know exactly what you mean! It's a lot of work and exhausting AF. I hope it all went smoothly! I'm doing very well lately, thank you for asking! I've been busy with Life, but getting through it! How have you been? How was the move? Getting settled in? And sorry that the POV change is a little confusing at times! It's something new I wanted to try, and for the most part it works pretty okay, but I feel you, it can also be confusing at times.

 **MnMAllyn** , Not quite, but getting there! Maybe 20 chapters, give or take a few. The dual POV makes it longer, though! Otherwise it'd probably be done by now.


	39. Chapter 38: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Thirty-Eight: Lucy**

When I came to, my head throbbed furiously from the hit. I cringed but gritted my teeth against it. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing me succumb to the pain.

I tried to open my eyes, but a cloth had been placed over them, concealing the room from view, but by some fortunate accident it was thin enough that I could still see shadows if I squinted hard enough. I didn't need eyes to know that my hands and feet were bound as well. I could feel the heavy chains weighing down my limbs where I sat against the wall. It made me more angry than scared, though I wasn't surprised in the least by this outcome. I was more surprised that it hadn't come sooner.

 _Guess I should be grateful_ , I thought bitterly.

I sighed. I didn't have the energy to be angry about my current imprisonment, though I couldn't say if that was more due to the fact that I was just exhausted physically and mentally, or because Minerva had forced submission upon me. It was strange, the way my body no longer craved escape. I still wanted to get out of this place, but it wasn't a huge concern of mine. I _knew_ , in the back of my mind, that I needed to get out, but some part of me, the submissive part to Minerva, just didn't care.

It felt strange to be under another Queen's control. It was different from when I was under my mother's reign, somehow. I couldn't say exactly _how_ it was different, though. When my mother was Queen, I don't remember ever feeling quite so…weak. Maybe because Minerva made me feel weak and powerless, whereas my mother always made me feel strong and capable

I could _feel_ the submission in my very being, crawling along my skin, inside my veins, worming its way around my heart. It was almost sickening. I wondered if that was how all vampires felt under a Queen's control or if it was just how Minerva's minions felt. I hoped it was the latter because I didn't want my coven family to live with this horrid feeling their whole lives. That was no way to live, even for the undead.

This was in no way how I felt while my mother was Queen. I supposed it made sense, seeing as I was so young and also heir to the throne. I never really had to feel a sense of such helplessness before now. Now, I was forced to obey without consent on my part. Deep inside of me, I knew that I was Lucy—that I was a Queen and a powerful one at that—but submission did something to your very being. It was like a collar that locked around your soul and forced your will to obey. Obviously, there were ways to break the lock—like in Gray's case when he betrayed me—but it wasn't an easy thing to do and was practically unheard of. Even when I tried to fight against it, I couldn't break the lock that bound me to Minerva's will.

"Contemplating your imminent death?"

I jumped in surprise—I hadn't even heard her approach. I hated that I couldn't _see_ her either. Not that I particularly wanted to lay eyes on Satan, but at least I would be able to see when she was about to strike me. That wouldn't save me any pain, however, so maybe it was better if I couldn't see.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice flat.

"What do I want?" She gave a slow, dark chuckle. I heard shoes clacking against the floor, but before I could even fully register them, her fist had struck the side of my face. "I want to _play._ "

I shuddered and gritted my teeth against the urge to cry. I wouldn't show this woman any more weakness than I absolutely had to. It was bad enough that I was tied up before her, I wasn't going to allow her to see me cry, too.

"Well, I don't want to play with _you,_ " I hissed. "Don't you have servants to entertain you? Or did they all run away at the first opportunity?"

I kind of anticipated the strike before I felt it hit my face, but that didn't make it hurt any less. I could feel my cheek start to swell instantly.

 _Okay, so antagonizing the demon-Queen is not the answer here, Lucy._

"I should kill you," she seethed. Her face was so close I could feel her cold breath on my ear. It made me shiver in disgust, but Minerva must have interpreted it as fear because she gave a chuckle in response. "Yes, I could tear you apart limb from limb until there's nothing left and then deliver your darling coven the pieces as a gift!" She laughed maniacally.

I cringed a little. "You are the worst creature," I said through gritted teeth.

A thick booted heel to the side of the head cut off any further response I might have had. My vision blurred and I felt dizzy and weak, yet somehow managed to stave off unconsciousness.

"You will do well to remember who you're speaking to, _my submissive._ "

 _Good god, this just got weird._

I shuddered.

"Just kill me if you're going to talk like that," I boldly declared. "I don't want to be a part of your kinky fantasies."

This time her heel pierced my chest. Fortunately, it missed my heart—or perhaps not so fortunate—but it still left me too stunned to move. She said nothing else as she hit me again, this time with her fists; sometimes scratching me with her claw-like nails, sometimes slamming my head into the wall.

By the time she'd had enough, I felt paralyzed with pain, but I didn't cry or make any verbal confirmation of the agony I felt—I wouldn't give her that satisfaction. I waited until the sounds of her shoes echoing off the halls grew silent and then allowed myself to cry. Even then, I didn't sob like my body wanted to; I let the tears silently stream down my cheeks.

The tears weren't for me, however—after all, I deserved to be beaten and bruised—they were for Natsu and what he must have endured over the three years he was held prisoner here with that monster of a woman who undoubtedly inflicted torture upon him on a daily basis; for Gray and Juvia and their unborn baby and the uncertainty of whether or not I would be able to save them all; for Wendy who had to carry the burden of all of this on her small shoulders.

 _My sweet Wendy...what have I done to you?_

It was the ominous feeling that someone else was in the room that finally dried my tears. I froze and listened; I breathed in unfamiliar scents. It wasn't Minerva, but that didn't mean it wasn't someone equally as horrible. It didn't smell like a pure-blood either. The scent was one I recognized as a human-turned-vampire.

"Who are you and what do you want?" I demanded. I hoped my tone was commanding as a Queen but knew that was probably too much to hope for. Not only had I been forced to submit to the Saber-bitch Queen, but I'd also just spent the better part of an hour crying like a damn baby. My tone was just pathetic.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," a voice said in a meek tone, "I'm nobody special, really. I'm not that powerful…or that cruel." I didn't really believe that but said nothing. "I knew your Natsu."

Suspicion flared up inside of me. She knew Natsu? Why? _How_? What did she do to him?

"I kept his hair clean," she continued casually as if by answer of my unspoken thoughts, "and let him use a toothbrush so his teeth didn't rot. He has nice teeth."

 _He does have nice teeth,_ I realized. I hadn't even considered the fact that he had perfectly white teeth despite having lived in captivity for three years. And sure, he'd been a little on the dirty side, but if he hadn't been taken care of at least somewhat, his appearance would have been so much worse. Why hadn't I realized it before? It was obvious that someone had helped him stay alive. Was this really the person who helped some poor human? Had she essentially given me my soulmate? If that was the case…it was a debt I could never hope to repay.

I wanted to say something, to ask questions or thank her or _something_ , but I couldn't form the words. My mind was spinning.

"I remember the first time I met him," the girl went on like I wasn't even there. "I was a new vampire. I'd come to the coven maybe a year after Natsu, a little bit less perhaps. Minerva stuck me with the task of cleanup because she was tired of doing the job herself. She instructed me to go deep into the cellars and clean up the mess her pet had made. Of course, at first I was thinking it had to be some kind of animal—we don't keep humans around as playthings anymore, you know? So imagine my surprise when I saw a human boy, frail and close to death, lying facedown in a puddle of his own vomit."

I shuddered a little at the images those words brought forth. Natsu, sick and left to die like some kind of unwanted animal. How could someone be so cruel to an innocent boy?

"He was only half conscious when I found him. I don't think he even realized that he'd thrown up. He looked pale with some kind of sickness. It was a horrifying sight…" Her voice trailed off and I could detect notes of sadness in her tone that surprised me. She… felt sorry for Natsu?

"I… helped him," she whispered, almost reluctantly as if unsure whether to give me the information. "I gave him an antibiotic—but I won't tell you what it was or how it came to be in my possession so don't even ask."

I arched an eyebrow at that but remained silent.

"He wouldn't have made it if I hadn't gotten there when I did. He was so out of it, he kept mistaking me for the wind." A soft, sad laugh.

"Who are you?" I asked again, wondering who this person was who saved my human's life.

"My name is Yukino."

 _Yukino? Why does that name sound so familiar…?_

"Well, sometimes he called me Yuki."

I gasped when the name finally registered in my mind. "You got Natsu out of here. You saved him from Minerva." I recalled Natsu muttering the name in his sleep. It was either followed by a relieved sigh and a small smile, or a contorted expression or pure grief, but never fear.

"I… did," she confirmed, her tone almost embarrassed, "though I was hoping he'd be far away from here by now. I had no idea he'd be holed up in another coven until M'lady came back from that Council meeting absolutely furious."

I snorted. "Yeah. Minerva was pretty pissed when she smelled his scent on me."

Yukino sighed heavily. "She was a raging lunatic for days."

"And that's different from her normal self, how…?" I couldn't help but ask.

A quiet laugh. "You're right. She's pretty horrible."

That surprised me. I had yet to meet a Saber who wasn't completely loyal to their Queen. "So why stay here? If you hate it so much, just leave."

"You and I both know it's never that easy," she told me sagely. I nodded, though I was unsure whether she saw or not.

"Do you… want to leave?" I asked, keeping my voice low just in case anyone was listening.

She hesitated. "I… don't know what I want. Sabertooth is my family, I don't want to leave, but…"

"But, you hate your bitch Queen," I finished. She didn't answer, which I took as a confirmation. "I can get you out, you know. I can help you. You don't have to live like this."

 _I don't need the extra burden, but if this is the woman who saved Natsu's life then I owe it to both him and her. I am indebted to her for saving my soulmate. If she wants out, I'll do my damndest to make sure that happens._

The blindfold pulled from my eyes and a face with soft features came into my view. Silver hair and kind eyes filled with sadness stared back at me. "You would do that… for your enemy?" she asked in disbelief.

"You aren't my enemy, Yukino," I said. "You took care of Natsu; you saved his life; you gave me the man I love. And if you hadn't been here to get him out, we would have never known. I would have spent my whole life searching for someone and never found him. I am indebted to you, Yuki."

She pulled back slightly with a look of astonishment like she couldn't believe I would say such a thing. "I did nothing, really. I just—"

"You kept him alive," I pointed out, "when no one else would. When your Queen left him for dead, you helped him to live."

She looked away, expression grim. "I didn't think he would make it," she whispered. "When I brought him to the surface that day, I was all but certain he would die."

"But you hoped he wouldn't," I guessed. "You knew he wouldn't survive in this place much longer—not in the state he was in—so you got him out in the hopes that he might live."

She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them I could see the shame hidden within. "He was my friend," she whispered, so low I almost didn't hear the words. "He hated me so much, but I liked him. He was a good person and didn't deserve to be treated like an animal. He was just a boy."

My heart almost wept for her. I felt bad—it wasn't her fault she'd been turned by the most evil coven in Fiore—but at the same time, I could sense that there was something she wasn't telling me. The shame written so clearly in her eyes wasn't only evident because she'd betrayed her own Queen by getting Natsu out. There was a deeper pain there, something she didn't want me to know; something I wasn't sure I _wanted_ to know.

I sighed and leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes. I didn't need to know, I decided. Let her keep some of her self-worth if she needed to.

"What are you doing down here?" I asked.

The question seemed to surprise her. Her eyebrows lifted slightly, a gesture that seemed so _familiar_ yet I couldn't seem to place exactly _how_. That expression, that face… where had I seen it before? Had Natsu simply described her to me so much that I felt as if I'd met her myself?

No, that couldn't be the case. I couldn't recall Natsu _ever_ describing anyone from this coven. So why did I suddenly feel as if I knew her?

 _Who are you, Yukino of Sabertooth?_

Her eyes met mine, brown eyes rimmed in red. "I… feel things," she finally answered.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

She bit her lip and glanced around the room as if expecting Minerva to come busting in any second. She inched closer and leaned forward so that her lips were even with my left ear. "I could sense your pain when you were still above ground. It felt like _his_ pain." I flinched but she ignored that and kept speaking, though her voice was so low I could barely make it out through the screaming thoughts raging inside my head. "I can _feel_ his pain inside of you. You are bound; you are soulmates."

I pulled away so fast my head smacked painfully against the wall behind me. I barely noticed. "How do you know that?"

"I told you, I sense things." Her tone implied that this was obvious, but her expression was grave.

 _I sense things; I feel things._

 _Why do those words sound familiar? Like her face, her words remind me of someone, but I can't bring up their face._

"Can you sense… _anyone_?" I asked carefully.

She shook her head, slowly. "No, not everyone. Only those bound to the stars." Her expression now was meaningful, willing me to understand.

"Bound to the stars…" I wasn't exactly sure what that was supposed to mean, but something about it sparked a memory inside of me of something my mother told me years ago.

We were in the dressing room adjacent the throne room. It was my fifth birthday, and my mother was dressing me in various outfits that I would model for her; a one-person fashion show. I remembered the black gown dotted with silver and gold stars that my mother had insisted I try on. It was her favorite, she'd told me.

She asked me to twirl for her, then told me how the dress suited me because I was 'one with the stars'. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now? Now I wondered if she'd been trying to tell me something, give me some kind of sign.

"What does that mean, exactly?" I inquired.

"Did your mother ever give you charms with zodiac symbols? Maybe in the form of a necklace or bracelet?"

 _My charm bracelet,_ I realized with a start.

"Yes, but—"

"The twelve gates of the zodiac." Her expression pleaded with me to understand. "Like constellations in the stars…"

" _Lucy, you are one with the stars. The keys of the zodiac will watch over you as you go through life. Do not forget, my daughter, to call upon the stars when you are in need of some guidance. Their light is the pinpoint in the sky, the map that will always guide you home."_

I met her eyes. "Cerească."

* * *

 **FairyTailBookworm** , Haha, yes that one was a purposeful cliffy XD And that's awesome that they got married on your birthday!

 **Compucles** , Yeah! She was her mother's advisor, too, so she feels strongly about helping Lucy as well. Also she's Erza so she's just awesome like that!

 **Bakers28** , Dun, dun, dun~~

 **Firewithin - 2** , Hey, no judgment here. I struggle with anxiety too so I know how that feels. No worries! Welcome to the story, new friend! XD I update every Monday morning, so just once a week. This fic is ALMOST at its end, but there's probably still another twenty chapters at least. So we're getting there! Thank you for the compliment on the story! I'm so glad you decided to give this one a try. I apologize in advance for all the cliffhangers. I typically end with a lot of those XD But don't worry because there will always be another chapter the following Monday!

 **ManderNaner** , Yeah! It was a little different, but thank you for saying that! I think it needed to be known what happened in Layla's past, and it wouldn't have made sense in anyone else's POV.

 **Insane-As-The-Mind** , Aww thank you so much! That makes me feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy! It really means so much when someone compliments my writing as well as the story itself. Thank you for being such a loyal reader of mine, I appreciate it! It's so nice to know that my writing gets better with time. I like to think it does, but then I think it's just me being hopeful lol. Anyway, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so much! Thank you for your continued support!

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	40. Chapter 39: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Thirty-Nine: Natsu**

I laid in bed with my hands crossed behind my head and stared vacantly at the ceiling. Thoughts spun in my head like a tornado, blasting through the little houses of reason I built there; little shacks that were hardly stable to begin with, but had somehow managed to stay solid through all of the crap I'd thrown at them over the years. Boulders of thought were flung at them time and time again. But now? Now, those carefully built shacks of reason with all their patchwork boards to keep them upright were starting to crumble right before my eyes—figuratively speaking, anyway.

I sighed deeply, simply because it made me feel better to vocalize my thoughts, even in such a small way. A sigh; an expression of exasperation/annoyance/frustration; an unspoken thought.

There were no sounds inside the room, which bothered me at the time. I didn't like the silence, it unnerved me and made me anxious. I just wanted to hear the wind rustling through the leaves of a tree, or water trickling downstream, or birds chirping, singing to one another as they flew about lazily with no other care in the world except to get food to their young. But here, deep within the cold earth beneath Magnolia, the silence was almost palpable. I could _feel_ it— _taste_ it—like something physical. It was driving me crazy.

I sighed again and turned onto my side, holding Lucy's pillow against my chest so that I could remember her scent and pretend it was her laying in my arms and not some godforsaken pillow with pink frills around the edge. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine that she was here with me, that this was just another ordinary night. We would be lying together and she would be telling me about her day and how much being a Queen was stressful for her but also how much she loves it. I would tell her how I'd spent my day re-reading _Macbeth_ even though I'd read it numerous times already, and how I sang our song in the shower knowing it would make her roll her eyes in amusement.

I could imagine it almost perfectly in my mind, so perfectly that I could _see_ and _feel_ our connection even from miles apart. It was a tangible part of us that never really went away. I pictured her smiling face as she looked up at me, the love in her eyes so evident I knew how she felt without her having to say a word.

 _I love you, Lucy,_ I thought as I began to drift into sleep.

That lasted for about half a minute before—

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

I scowled and ignored the door. I didn't want to see that blonde-haired asshole again tonight, even if he was technically helping me get my girlfriend back. He was still an arrogant bastard and I didn't want to deal with him at all unless I absolutely had to. And right now—in the middle of the vampiric night—was not one of those times.

 _Just go the fuck away,_ I silently groaned as the knocking persisted. What was with the vamps in this coven anyway? Did none of them have a sense of time? Did they even sleep? Maybe Lucy was just an exception because she was Queen? I didn't know, all I knew was that vamps came and went at all hours of the day.

When the knocking turned into insistent banging, I finally gave up on trying to ignore the person and threw off the blankets. I put on my shittiest look and opened the door, ready to let Laxus have it for being a douche-nozzle and waking me up. But it wasn't the blonde bastard I knew and hated, this was a short blue-haired girl with a murderous expression that immediately had me flinching and stumbling back inside.

Vampire women were scary as fuck.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded—my voice did _not_ stutter in fear like a pussy. _That's the story I'm sticking with, anyway._

The bluenette continued to glower at me. She was maybe five-foot tall and wore black jeans and a black top that only made her look more terrifying—which was a strange contradiction to her pint-sized body and total lack of _oomph_ in the chest area. She was making me uncomfortable in the way Lucy and Minerva did when they were trying to assert their power over me. I didn't understand _why_ , though. What could this small woman have in common with two Queens?

"Lucy isn't here," I blurted when she didn't respond. I swear her glare hardened further.

"No fucking shit," she replied sarcastically. "Lucy isn't around. How the _hell_ would I have deduced such a thing?"

"..."

 _Was I supposed to respond to that?_

"I know she isn't around, boy." She pushed me aside and stepped into the room, kicking the door shut behind her. I stood my ground—even though I was terrified as fuck—and tried not to let her intimidate me. So what if she was a powerful female vamp? I was boyfriend to the _Queen_ , that had to count for something.

…Right?

She eyed me up and down for a long moment and her intense gaze gave me a feeling like I was being weighed and measured as if she could tell everything she needed to know about me by my expression and body posture. That wasn't possible, though. At least, I hoped not. You never knew with vamps.

"I know who you are," she declared, making me gasp in surprise. Her glower turned proud. "That's right, human boy. I know who you are. I know _everything_."

My eyes went wide. No way, there was _no way_ …we were so careful!

"What do you know?"

The little blue-haired vampire arched an eyebrow. "I am the Queen's best friend. She may not have told me everything, but I'm smart enough to fit the pieces together. Lucy thought she was being secretive and sly, but I knew something was up from the moment she brought you down here." A faraway look crossed her features. "She started acting strangely. She's been missing her feedings, but she asks for extra trays of food. Supplies went missing—I'm the one who keeps inventory of all the human supplies we salvage so I knew right away when things started to go down. At first, I wanted to blame some of our…less trustworthy kin, but when I made Erik show me the security tapes to the storeroom—"

"Which one is Erik?" I cut her off because I couldn't help myself. "The one with the pointy ears?"

"Yes. He showed me the footage and it was Lucy who appeared to be stealing." She sighed heavily. "Of course there was nothing I could really do since she was both my best friend and Queen, so I've kept the information to myself all this time in the hopes that she would eventually confide in me. She never has, and I've never pushed her to do so.

"A couple weeks ago, I was on my way down here to check on Lucy—since I hadn't seen her in several days—when I heard…" She looked away as if in embarrassment.

"Heard what?" I asked with a frown.

She glanced back at me with a downright evil glare that had me tripping backward. "I heard _things_."

"What things—"

 _Oh, lord. She couldn't possibly mean…? No way. She didn't hear_ that…

… _did she?_

My cheeks heated. "You don't mean…?" I swallowed, unable to say the words aloud.

She stuck her nose in the air haughtily as if completely unphased by the idea, but her eyes told me she was just as embarrassed as I was. Well, probably not that much. "Yes. You and my best friend—my _Queen_ —screwing around without so much as a mating contract!"

I stared incredulously. "…Seriously?" I asked flatly. " _That's_ your concern here? That she and I didn't fill out some _paperwork_ that says we can screw? Are you vamps really that obsessed with your politics?"

She huffed indignantly. "It is not obsession, boy, it's the way we have governed for millennia. It is _law_. Lucy is Queen, so she should set an example for the others and _follow the laws_."

"So let me get this straight," I began slowly as I tried to wrap my mind around what the hell was going on here, "your concern is not that a _human_ has been fucking your Queen," she winced at my expletive, "but rather the ridiculous law that said fucking should be done _only_ after given permission? And who gives this permission anyway, huh? Isn't it _the Queen?_ " I arched an eyebrow.

She opened her mouth to reply, then closed it and sighed resolutely. "You're right. And honestly, I don't care if you're a human, a vampire, or a robot," she said, her voice going from hot to icy cool, "those things don't matter to me."

I arched an eyebrow. "Yeah? You sure look like it matters."

"It's not like that," she murmured, tone reluctant now. "I fell in love with a human, too, you know."

I blinked in surprise at that. "Really?" I wondered just how often that happened around here. I knew from talking with Lucy and Wendy that most vampires were born naturally, but there were still those who were turned. I wondered how many of them had been turned because one of the vampires fell in love.

She nodded. "I found him in the forest one day. Lucy…she let me keep him."

"Keep him?" I repeated in a deadpan. "Like a pet?"

 _Or maybe they simply like the idea of having a mate less powerful than them…_

She snickered. "Kind of. He's a good boy." She winked.

I rolled my eyes heavenward. "So who is this 'pet' of yours? Have I met him?"

She shrugged. "Doubtful. He most likely would have killed you if he'd smelled you.'

I gulped.

She laughed. "His name is Gajeel…" Her voice switched from scary to starry-eyed dreamer. "He has long black hair and bright red eyes."

"Don't all you vamps have the red eyes, though?" I asked, squinting at the red ring around her brown irises.

"Yes," she agreed, "but his don't have a colored iris, they're just red—like blood."

I didn't think that last part was necessary but kept my mouth shut about it lest I enrage the demon inside the mini-vamp. "Uh…cool?"

 _Real smooth, Natsu. So much better._

"He sounds badass," I added as an afterthought, hoping she wouldn't get offended.

She barked a laugh. "Ha! He's a fluffy little puppy dog who knows who his master is."

I tried to swallow the lump that suddenly formed in my throat but ended up choking on my own spit instead. This little midget-vamp was scary; I wouldn't want to mess with her. Lucy and Minerva were each scary in their own ways, but this chick was a whole different kind of person. I wasn't sure if she was more or less scary than the other two.

"Anyway," she continued as if nothing strange had been said at all, "Lucy knew that I'd—technically—taken a human illegally into the coven, but she still allowed him to stay. And when the Council found out and wanted to have us both executed…"

"Lucy saved your sorry asses," I finished.

She gave a genuine smile. "That's Lucy, isn't it? Saving the weak and helpless."

I had a feeling that was less of a dig at me and more so on herself. "Hey, I'm sure that's not entirely true. You vamp women are badass, right? You're not helpless."

Her smile grew wider. "You're right. I could certainly snap a cute little thing like you right in half. It would be easy." I felt my face go pale. She giggled. "I won't, don't worry. Lucy would be so upset. Which brings me to the reason I'm here. Lucy, where is she? I've been hearing rumors that the Queen has gone to the surface?"

I bit my lip and looked away. Lucy's best friend was standing right in front of me asking where she was. The hell was I supposed to say? 'Sorry, I lost your best friend/Queen. Please don't eat me. I'm kind of bony and probably not juicy enough for good eating'.

"She's gone, isn't she…" It was less of a question and more of a reluctant statement she didn't want to fully believe.

"She's fine," I lied.

The little blue-haired vamp glared at me with tear-filled eyes. "Don't mess with me, boy," she demanded. "Tell me what happened to Lucy or I'll make you wish you were never born."

"Lady, I've wished that many times in my life," I replied, not unkindly. "I was locked up with Sabertooth for three _years_. I prayed for death every day and it never came."

Surprise flashed in her eyes. "You were with Sabertooth for _three years?"_

I shrugged. "Give or take a few months, yeah. It was kind of hard to keep track of time down there, as you know."

She gave a tiny flinch. "Oh. That must have been torture."

I barked a laugh. "You have no idea, lady."

"It's Levy," she corrected.

Now I blinked in surprise. "Oh. So you do have a name."

She scowled. "Don't be cute."

I gave her a sheepish smile. She fought back one in return.

"So Lucy saved you," she said matter-of-factly.

"Yup."

"And now you're here."

"Lucky me."

A quirk of the lips. "Lucy has been…happy lately," she admitted without looking me in the eye. "Happier than she has been since her mother…well, you probably know."

I nodded. "She told me all about that. It sounds horrible."

"It was," she agreed. "No one can understand what that must have been like for her—not even I can understand completely, and I'm her best friend. It was hard to see her struggle for so long, and when I found out why she was suddenly happy again, I didn't have the heart to do anything about it. Lucy deserves to be happy, even if it is with a human."

I couldn't decide if that was supposed to be an insult so I ignored that last comment. Instead, I gave her what I hoped to be an encouraging smile. "She deserves so much. Don't worry, I'm not letting her go just yet; I'm getting her back."

She worked hard to keep her expression neutral, but I could see the surprise and unease in her eyes. "From where?"

"Minerva has her."

Now the shock on her face showed clear as day—you know, if vampires ever saw the daytime. "I'd really hoped I was wrong about that."

"Sorry to disappoint," I replied flatly—I knew women hated to be wrong.

She sighed heavily. "If that's the truth—"

"It is," I insisted.

"—then there's nothing you can do."

"Hey," I clenched my fists at my side, both frustrated and determined. "You can't decide that. I have a plan to get her back. And I will," I promised her.

She looked like she might argue further, but either my expression or something else must have convinced her, "Alright, I'll let you take this one. I'm trusting you, Tofu."

"It's Natsu," I corrected with an eye roll she thankfully didn't catch because her back was to me.

"Bring her back to us, Natsu."

Fear and uncertainty shone from her eyes. I lowered my head slightly so she could see the truth in mine. "You have my word."

* * *

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	41. Chapter 40: Erik

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Forty: Erik**

Erik smirked when he heard the familiar sound of Erza's thundering footsteps coming down the hallway toward his room. _Anger_ , he instantly detected with some amusement. As to what the ferocious woman could possibly be angry about now, he had no idea; she was still too far away for him to be able to hear her thoughts. Not that it mattered. When Erza Scarlet-Fernandez was furious about something, her thoughts twisted and turned so much it was impossible to catch onto just one. It was both a relief and an inconvenience. He hated not knowing what was going on, but at the same time, he knew some thoughts were best left unheard. He'd certainly learned that one the hard way. Many times.

"Why are you smirking like that?"

He glanced over at the purple-haired woman who sat near him. She had a pad of paper on her lap and various sized pencils sitting in a cup on the small table beside her. She was drawing again. That gave him bittersweet feelings. On one hand, he thought she was a beautiful artist and loved seeing the art she created, but on the other hand… the things she drew were always dark parts of her past that also made him somber.

Today, however, she was drawing something that looked at least somewhat happy. He could see it in her mind, the image she held and tried to replicate on paper: a curled up snake with wings. A depiction of her past life, she thought, something she could _feel_ more than _see._ He wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but the snake in her mind was just as beautiful as she was and somehow made him think of her when he pictured it in his own mind.

He widened his grin and pretended that he hadn't just listened to her thoughts like an asshole because he knew she hated when he did that."Erza is coming this way."

Kinana visibly winced and the images in her mind changed to ones of a giant monster that looked nothing like Erza aside from the red hair. He laughed out loud. She scowled at him.

"You can run away if you want," he offered. "This is your last chance…"

She was up and out of the room before he'd finished speaking. He snorted a laugh.

"Erik!" Erza's voice called out to him from several yards down the hall.

He smirked again and ignored the call, sipping the tea Kina had made for him and flipping a page in the book he wasn't really reading—he just liked having it in his lap.

Erza's footsteps grew louder and harder as she neared his quarters; determination was evident in her stride. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling he had another Erza lecture in the very near future. He couldn't recall doing anything that would make the woman angry, but then, one almost never knew what might make Titania angry. He once made the mistake of "helpfully" changing some ingredients in the cake mix Midnight and Mira had been working on. He had been forced to endure an hour-long lecture on how nothing can be a substitution for strawberries. He kind of tuned out most of that conversation, but he remembered to never mess with Erza's cakes again.

"Erik!" Fists pounded on the door now.

"Here we go," he muttered to himself. Despite the knocking and obvious anger he could hear in Erza's tone, he did not immediately get up and let her inside. Instead, he let her stew some more. He sipped his tea, flipped another page in his book (he didn't even know what he was 'reading'), counting down the seconds until Erza would burst through the door because he knew she would. Erza was not a patient woman.

 _Three…_

 _Two…_

 _One…_

She burst through the door so hard it crashed loudly into the wall behind it, the sound of which reverberated inside his skull and made his eardrums throb. He winced. That, he had not seen coming.

"Hello, Erza," he greeted her. "Do you want to break anything else while you're here, or just my eardrums?"

She growled in anger and frustration. "I am not here to play games with you. Be serious and tell me what I wish to know."

"Maybe I would if I had any idea what you want to know," he replied flatly. He flipped another page, took another small sip of tea. "Or maybe not."

Another growl. "Erik," her tone warning, "tell me what I need to know. I do not have time to mess around."

"I wonder what Jellal would say to that," he said thoughtfully. He could _hear_ the steam pouring from her ears. He gave her an innocent smile.

"Erik, I swear to Mavis, if you do not fess up to what I need to know right now—"

"I'm fairly certain you have not actually told me what it is you _do_ want, Titania." Erik flipped another page—the chapter title read: Monsters and Demons. He almost laughed at the irony.

Erza opened her mouth to argue, then closed it, opened it again. "Tell me what you know of Jellal and Laxus' disappearance," she finally demanded of him.

"Jellal and Laxus?" he inquired thoughtfully. "The brainiac and the short fuse?"

"Tell me what you know!" she repeated more forcefully. The barely controlled rage in her tone had him biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing outright.

"Hmm." He tapped a finger against his chin as if in deep thought. "I don't think I know what you're talking about. Maybe you should have kept a leash on your pet so he wouldn't run away." He chuckled darkly. _Bet Jellal would be into that, the pansy ass._

He could practically feel the anger radiating off her at this point. "Stop playing around. I know you've heard something—you hear everything!—so just tell me already."

Erik made a great show of scanning the page he was on without actually reading it, folding down one corner even though he knew Kinana would probably have a fit about it later, and closing the book. He set it on the small table next to him and turned to face Erza with a serious expression. Her anger softened just a fraction and expectation started to fill her eyes.

"You really want to know what I've heard?" he asked slowly. She nodded vigorously and gave him a 'hurry the hell up' gesture. "Alright. I'll tell you what I know." He waited for a moment. "Nothing." He sipped his tea.

Erza's mouth fell open in shocked anger. "Y-You…" She seemed to be at a loss for words, which was just too funny. Erik couldn't help but burst into laughter. Others feared the Great Titania Erza, but Erik? To him, she was simply entertaining.

However…

Before he could get too prideful over his well-executed joke, Erza had lunged toward him and would have knocked him to the floor if he hadn't heard her coming. He easily twisted out of her reach without even spilling his tea. When she rose into a crouch, he took a long, slow sip and watched as her eyes turned from red to black.

 _That's enough, Erik._

His ears perked. That wasn't Erza's voice chastising him now. His ears twitched, searching for the voice—it was coming from the kitchen.

 _Kina._

He gave a dramatic sigh. "Alright, Erza. I'll tell you what I know. But I'm warning you now, I don't know much."

She narrowed her gaze at him. "Is this another one of your tricks?"

He ignored her question. "Laxus and Jellal devised a plan to use the human boy to break into Sabertooth and rescue the Fairy Queen," he said casually as if talking about the weather outside. "Pity no one asked me to join in on the fun. Not that I have any desire to be a part of that hopeless rescue mission, but I bet the fighting will be entertaining at least."

Erza said nothing for a long moment, simply staring dumbfounded at him as if he'd just spoken to her in an alien language.

" _Why_ ," she began in a low tone that suggested she was just barely holding back her fury, "would you just let them go?"

He shrugged. "It's none of my business what those two idiots do with their free time. Besides," he crossed one leg over the other, "they'll probably get the human killed so I won't have to listen to his whining and complaining about being a helpless human scum any longer."

Erza blinked in surprise. "What are you saying?" Suspicion laced her tone.

"I'm saying, the human pest has been crying like a pussy about being human for months. I can't possibly listen to his voice another moment." Erik pulled on one ear as if trying to dispel the sounds. "He also has a terrible singing voice."

"...months?" Erza was clearly baffled beyond comprehension. "You've known about the boy for _months_ and said _nothing_?"

He shrugged. "Lucy is the Queen so who was I going to tattle to about the breaking of the law? Herself? 'Excuse me, Highness,'" Erik gave a high-pitched, overly dramatic impression of the Queen's voice, "'someone has been breaking vampire law by holding a human pet hostage in her bedchamber. You should have them beheaded'. I'm sure that would have gone so well."

Erza scowled. "You could have addressed the Council, or simply asked the Queen about it. Maybe things would have turned out differently if—"

"Whoa there, Red." Erik dropped his book onto the table beside him, causing a loud _thump_ to cut off the raging vampire. "First off, do _not_ blame me for the current events. Secondly, though I may have exceptional hearing—no pun intended—it's none of my damn business what Queenie does with her personal time. If she wants to literally screw with humans, that's on her. Who am I to interfere?"

Erza opened her mouth to say something, but again nothing came out. She settled for a displeased scowl.

"All I'm saying," Erik continued, "is that I had no right to butt in where I'm not wanted. It's not my duty to tattle on the Queen."

Erza sighed. "I suppose I can't expect you to do that."

He said nothing to this, simply took another long sip of tea. He watched as her nostrils flared and then her narrow-eyed gaze fell on the cup he held.

"What are you drinking?"

"Tea," he replied innocently.

"What's in it?"

He shrugged. She glowered.

"Erik," her tone chastising, "are you drinking blood in your tea?"

"It's just a new recipe Midnight created. It's an interesting blend. I think it might have blood orange in the mix," he offered. _And maybe some O negative._

Her glare deepened. "Why don't I believe you?"

"I don't know," he replied sarcastically, "I'm so trustworthy."

"I suppose if Midnight ha created it, it's entirely possible for it to have strange ingredients," she allowed.

"Oh yes." He nodded enthusiastically. "Do you recall the strawberry, cream cheese, and peppermint cake he created for you?"

Erza looked like she might moan right there. Erik smirked.

"Yes… That cake was a true work of art."

"Indeed," Erik agreed, even though he hated that concoction. Peppermint did not belong inside cakes.

"The way those flavor combinations complimented each other so perfectly…" He swore he could see her mouth watering. "It was heavenly. It was ethereal. It was—hey!"

Erik arched an eyebrow at her. "It was hay? That sounds terrible. No wonder no one likes Midnight's cakes if he uses hay in the mixture."

She growled. "Stop shitting around. No distractions. I came here with a purpose and I expect you to help me."

"Such a prude." He tsk-tsked.

She growled again. "Erik, for the love of Mavis, if you don't start taking things seriously right now I'll—"

"You'll do what?" he challenged her. He knew without a doubt that this woman could easily be the death of him. She could tear him apart so fast he wouldn't even have time to hear her thoughts first—she was that good. Even so, he also knew that she _wouldn't_ do that to him. The two bantered and exchanged threats, but they were fellow Council members to the Queen and they both took their oaths seriously.

Erik recalled meeting Layla for the first time when she'd been a child Queen like Lucy was now. She showed him so much mercy, even knowing he was a criminal who'd hurt people; even knowing he traveled with other criminals. He could never show that kind of mercy and kindness, and he didn't think Erza was all that _nice_ either, but they at least stayed true to their word. He could do that much for Layla—the woman who'd spared him.

Erza, however…was just too fun to mess with.

A vein pulsed in her forehead, and for a moment he thought she might actually attack him, but then she closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and opened them again, looking significantly less murderous.

She turned, walked to the door and opened it. Just before she stepped out she called over her shoulder back at him. "Go and inform Wendy to gather the Council members for an emergency meeting," she told him. She didn't turn around, didn't wait for a response. She simply stepped out and let the door close softly behind her, leaving him in silence once more.

Erik downed the last of his tea and set it and his book on the table beside him. He sat there for a moment, considering what this could mean. Erza wanted to hold an emergency meeting. He wasn't entirely sure what said meeting could be about, but he had a strong inkling it would have something to do with the human boy. He didn't know if she cared because he was the Queen's pet, or because he was traveling with her mate.

"Are you going to help her?" Kina asked from the doorway leading into the kitchen.

He glanced up at her and smiled. She was stunningly beautiful, he thought. The most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on. He didn't deserve such beauty, but he treasured it anyway.

"What do you think I should do, Kina?" he asked.

"I think you would be an asset to her."

He nodded humbly. "If you think I can help, then I suppose I have no other choice."

"There's always a choice," she whispered, so softly he barely caught the words.

He locked gazes with her and saw the unspoken words written there, reminding him of his past. He'd made many poor decisions with the excuse that he "didn't have any other choice" but Kinana had always known better. Ever since he'd first met her, back when they were still just dating and he was telling her stories of his past with the Oración Seis, she always said the same thing: _there's always a choice._ She was right then and she was right now, too.

He nodded. "You're right, Kina. I'll help Erza. Meet me in the Council chambers in half an hour."

She nodded.

…

Once they were all gathered in the Council chambers, Erza brought the meeting to order—in a very 'official' type of way. All she lacked was a gavel, but her gauntleted fist made for a damn good substitute. All quieted at once and looked to Erza, waiting for her to explain the purpose of this sudden meeting.

Erik and Kinana sat in their usual spots to the right of where the Queen usually sat and where Erza currently sat as the Queen's fill-in. Erik thought Erza was significantly scarier than Lucy could ever be, but then he'd seen her get pretty close when Laxus got her riled up. He thought Erza would make a good Queen, but Lucy did alright. She was Layla's daughter, after all. He believed in her ability to become someone great. Erza just had more experience than her.

Beside them, Lilliana sat alone, which made her look even smaller than she normally did. The poor girl was distraught about her mate being gone; her thoughts told Erik that she had no idea where he'd gone off to. He thought Laxus was a real bastard for not even informing his mate that he was leaving, but he also understood why he hadn't. If Lilliana knew nothing about his disappearance, she couldn't get in trouble for withholding information.

 _Poor kid,_ he thought, shaking his head.

"We have a very important matter to discuss," Erza called out. Her voice was as commanding as usual. Erik resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her for the obvious comment and simply stayed quiet. "As you may have noticed, two of our members, including my _mate_ —" the way she said _mate_ made her anger obvious, "—are not currently present. That is not because they are held up with other matters, the fact is… they've gone missing."

Gasps filled the room, along with an incredulous snort from Erik.

 _Really, Erza? They've gone missing? Should we send out a search party and offer a reward?_ He could just picture the Lost flyers now. 'Missing: two deadly vampires. Substantial reward'. Maybe instead of putting pictures on milk cartons, they could stick them on hospital blood bags.

"What do you mean 'missing'?" Makarov asked. His tone was careful but his fists were white knuckles as they clenched the table.

"They decided to go after our Queen on their own." Erza held the small man's eyes without fear.

"What?!" Mirajane gasped dramatically.

"And they took the human boy as bait," Erik added helpfully. Erza threw a scowl over her shoulder at him. He ignored that.

"They took a human…as _bait_?" Lilliana asked in disbelief. "Laxus was a part of this?"

Erik would have liked to tell her that her mate was a douche and no one except for her was surprised that he would do something so 'despicable,' but he wasn't like Laxus.

"Of course he is," he told her instead.

Kinana sighed and patted the girl's hand in comfort.

 _What? What did I say?_

"What are we going to do about this?" Mira asked, glancing between Erza and Makarov.

Makarov frowned in thought. "We can't really leave them any more than we can leave our Queen there, however…"

"We can't do anything to get them back without getting more of us killed," Erik finished.

Erza shot him another glare before she turned her attention back to Makarov.

"I won't allow for any of us to perish at Sabertooth's hand," she told them with determination. "I have a plan."

* * *

 **A/N:** ATTENTION ALL TOF FANS! Since it is the holiday season and everyone is spending time with family and yadda-yadda, TOF is going to be taking a short break in respect to both myself and my editors (who totes deserve some time off). I WILL be posting again so don't worry about that. I'm not going on hiatus, just taking a posting break for the holiday. I will be posting chapters again January 1st (Conveniently a Monday), so you can all look forward to that! I'll actually try to post it at midnight as a "Happy New Year!" to you all.

Thank you all so much for still reading this fic with me! Also, to those of you who think the pacing has slowed down... Well, it's going to pick up real soon, rest assured! This chapter should give you all a hint that shit's about to hit the fan. If you're looking forward to that sort of thing, anyway.

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	42. Chapter 41: Lucy

**A/N: Happy New Year my FanFiction friends! I know some of you have been following me much longer than this story, and for that I am sooo grateful. You've stuck with me through all my random one-shots and stories even when they weren't that good XD And then TOF happened and new people came in as well. I'm so happy with the turn-out for this story. You guys are seriously the best. Thank you all for the neverending support and encouragement—I can't tell you all enough how much that means to me. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday! Let's ring in the new year with some TOF! And I promise it all goes to shit from here XD Get ready for some action in the upcoming chapters.**

 **Also, thank you all for the holiday wishes! I really loved seeing all of those the last couple of weeks.**

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Forty-One: Lucy**

I was slumped, half-propped up against the wall, absentmindedly pinching the skin on my wrist at the empty space where my zodiac charm bracelet should have been and thinking about the person who gave it to me. Now that I _knew_ , I could remember countless times where my mother had subtly mentioned Cerească over the years, usually in casual conversation where she could say it without really _saying_ anything, like a secret she desperately wanted to share with me but was afraid to say aloud.

It was too late now and I couldn't change the past. Even so, why had it taken me this long to decipher her words? Why had it taken an enemy to remind me of my mother's secrets?

Yukino…

Was she really my enemy? She'd taken care of Natsu; she'd reminded me of my past and helped me to uncover memories I hadn't even realized I had buried deep in my subconscious. She didn't try to hurt me, even though it would have been easy with the current state I was in. Even so, she did belong to Minerva so I couldn't allow myself to fully trust her, not right now. I couldn't take in every helpless stray I came across.

Helpless stray…wasn't that what I was now? I was helpless against Minerva and I no longer had a home. Maybe I could just become a kiss-ass and get in her good graces?

I snorted a laugh. No way in hell would that ever happen.

"Something funny, little Queen?"

I turned toward the voice with a growl already on my lips (it was a habit at this point). The long-haired, bleached blonde asshole with the weird feathered hat stood in the doorway with an arrogant expression I really wished I could Lucy-kick right off his face. He was dressed just as nice as the last time I'd seen him, and once again held a book against his chest. Fortunately—or perhaps not—both hands clutched the book, making me think he probably wasn't about to stab me with more needles. Though, he could easily have one in his pocket or lodged to keep his stupid hat in place.

"Just your gay-ass outfit," I quipped. "Really, can you be any more obvious? If you like boys, you should just come out and say so."

"Well, I'm sure I would prefer your raggedy-ass dress all ripped up the sides, but some of us don't like to give away the farm."

"You don't have the legs for it, anyway," I retorted.

"My, such an insult from a Queen-turned-peasant. Should I cry in the shower later?"

"I don't want to hear what you do in the shower, pinhead, but I hope the last thing you're thinking about is me."

He scoffed. "At least on this one account, we can agree."

"Now, I have far more pressing business to attend to than trading insults with a filthy prisoner in this rundown hellhole." He wiped his hands on his red velvet pants like he was cleaning off invisible dirt.

I smirked. "Sorry, if I had my purse, I could offer you some Purell."

He didn't take the bait this time but quirked an eyebrow. "Now, Queen Lucy…" he drew out the word _Queen_ , reminding me of my former title. I turned steely eyes to him, determined not to show how much it affected me. "Have you ever heard the stories of King Zeref?"

"King Zeref?" I asked before I could remind myself that I didn't fucking _care_.

He nodded. "There used to be Kings in many covens, in the beginning…"

 _Oh, goody. Story-time from the asshat. Lucky me._ I heaved a long sigh. _Haven't I suffered enough?_

Apparently not, because he was _still_ talking.

"Women were always considered to be less than men and were therefore treated as pretty trinkets to be kept on the arms of Kings and nobles."

"That's bullshit…" I said in a low, angry tone. Women being treated like objects. That was too fucked up to believe.

Rufus the Asshat calmly flipped open the thick volume and scanned over some pages. "' _In the beginning, God Zeref created covens of darkness_ '." Rufus began to read. "' _He gave life to creatures with extraordinary powers. He called them…vampires. These beings would serve God Zeref by drinking the blood of humans to gain power. Those most powerful would be considered to be 'Exceptional' and would curry favor with the god'._ "

"God, stop," I begged. "I don't give a shit about your made up history." Because I knew with certainty that Zeref may have had a part in the creation of vampires, but he definitely wasn't the 'God' of anything.

"' _Once these Exceptionals became known, covens started to form around them,_ '" he continued as if I hadn't even spoken. "' _Many came together to create groups they thought would become powerful enough to gain Zeref's favor, as the Exceptionals did. They went to war with one another and tore each other apart. This pleased God Zeref who had created these beings with chaos and destruction in mind. His ultimate goal was to purge the world of the weak and powerless and start anew'._ "

"You know that's a load of bullshit, right?" I asked flatly, arching an incredulous eyebrow in his direction.

He shut the book and tucked it under one arm. "There are several chapters about one Mavis Vermillion as well," he said, ignoring my question. "I have committed this entire history to memory." He tapped the side of his head as if to prove his brain was there. "I know everything this book holds; every secret, good and bad. In fact…" He tossed the book across the room so that it slid across the floor two feet in front of me. I stared at it, nervous despite my previous bluster. I eyed it like it contained a bomb and refused to touch it. "I don't even need this book anymore. You should have it, now that you're a part of this coven."

I bared my teeth at him but he was already gone. "Fucktard," I mumbled in annoyance. I really hated that guy. He acted so high and mighty like he was—

 _Wait… No, not that guy. It can't be…_

Was Rufus… an Exceptional? Had I seriously not seen that one coming? Maybe because I'd been forced into submission against my will and thrown into a concrete cell for days with no blood or other sustenance. Maybe my mind was going to shit.

Was that why he told me this story about 'God Zeref' and his creation of these extra-powerful beings? But… if he _was_ an Exceptional, what did that mean? What sort of power did this guy have?

 _What kind of hell awaits me?_

I glanced over at the book he'd left behind. Clearly, he wanted me to read it. I couldn't fathom _why_ he cared whether or not I knew about Sabertooth history—especially when it's full of lies. Did he want to scare me with tales of Exceptionals going on rampages and killing everyone in sight?

 _Mavis…_

He'd said there were chapters about Mavis. My first instinct is to not believe him, but the very fact that he knew her by name was enough to give him some credit. Fairy Tail's creator was not exactly a secret to most, but her name wasn't widely known. Most just referred to her as 'The Fairy Tactician,' or 'Queen of the Fairies'. It was rare to find an outsider who knew her full name. That didn't mean Rufus knew anything about her, though. He could be setting me up by getting me to read this book that had nothing to do with Mavis at all. But…what would he gain by tricking me into reading a book about Sabertooth's history? What advantage would that give someone who is undoubtedly an Exceptional? I was a Queen forced into submission by another, I was no longer a threat to him or anyone else. Reading some stupid book wouldn't do anything for him…right?

I took a quick glance around the room, then snatched the book from its place and waited for it to explode. If not for Natsu and our soulbond, I may have prayed for the sweet release of death—err…true death. Things were looking pretty grim at the moment. Nothing happened, however, so I gingerly pulled open the hard front cover.

Nothing.

I flipped through the pages; they were all blank.

"Fucking asshole," I growled, then threw the book across the room. Of _course_ there would be nothing written inside. Did he have the thing made that way just to trick me and make me look like an idiot? Probably. Sabertooth was full of violent assholes, but it was also full of conniving ones. Basically, this was Assholes 'R' Us coven. Maybe they should change their names to Asstooth instead. That suited them better.

The thought made me laugh. I would have never thought something like that before Natsu came into my life. He was changing me in so many ways—good ways. He was making me bolder and more confident in myself and in my ability to rule my coven. I'd always done my best to not show my insecurity in front of my coven, but now that was almost nonexistent. It was easy to be brave when you had nothing left to lose. Natsu had lived here for three long years, hoping each day that he could goad the Asstooths into killing him. Now I was in his place, maybe even in the same cell he once had occupied.

 _Better me than him._

That didn't mean I didn't get annoyed or angry, though. I was pretty damn annoyed and angry, then, locked in a Sabertooth cell with my free will set on Non-Existent, with a side of 'congrats! You've been betrayed by your best friend/brother'!

 _But he did it to save his wife and baby…_

 _Yes… but he still betrayed his sister!_

 _You're not really his sister…_

 _Yes, but we've been like family! A family that isn't bound by blood, but who chooses to stay together. I didn't deserve that. I should kill him the next time I see him._

Even though it was only a petty thought, I felt ashamed. If my skin had the ability to flush, I knew I'd be beet-red if I were human.

 _No, I can't do that. He doesn't deserve to die._

 _But… can he really stay in the coven after what he's done to his Queen?_

I sighed but the sound came out more as a frustrated growl. I wanted to cry. I shouldn't have to make these choices. I knew it was part of being Queen—the hardest choices always fell on the Queen—but that didn't make it any easier.

 _Gray… what have you done to us?_

… _And how do I fix it?_

…

Hours went by without anyone coming down to torture me. I was surprised by that, but then, part of the torture could have simply been them letting me sit in silence with no social interaction until I died from loneliness. It was possible, but most likely they'd just gotten busy trying to overtake my coven and didn't have the time to bother _me_. I would be grateful for the break if it wasn't at the expense of my kin.

I was still shackled to the wall, so instead of pacing like I wanted to, I drew circles in the dirt with the top of a nail. They'd been filed short upon my arrival so they were dull and I ended up getting more dirt under the nail than anything else, but it still made me feel better than when I did nothing. Maybe I'd eventually claw out a plan of action.

That's what I needed: a plan of action, something to help me get the hell out of this place and back to my coven before it was too late.

 _Don't forget about Gray…_

I growled at the unwelcome thought. I didn't need to think about rescuing _him_ right now, not when my whole coven needed saving. What was one person compared to many?

 _Maybe that's how Gray felt when he fought to save his mate and child?_

"Eugh." I hated when my thoughts were against me. Even my own mind agreed with Gray over me. That was too wrong to even fathom.

 _Think, Lucy, think! What options do I have?_

I glanced around the room for inspiration. Lots of caked-in-dirt concrete, blood and who knew what else splattered the room, some shackles embedded into the wall, a pathetic used-to-be Queen, and—

 _Yes…_

The stake Minerva had thrown into my stomach was still lying around! Granted, it was no longer within arms reach and I was pretty securely bound to the wall, but maybe if I tried really hard… I could will the stake to come to me?"

I snorted a laugh. Yeah, right. Either I was going crazy in here or Asstooth's stupidity was rubbing off on me. I wasn't sure which option was preferable. Maybe I was stupid _and_ crazy? Yes, that would be so much better.

I groaned in annoyance and pulled hard against the restraints—they didn't budge, of course. Well, that wasn't going to stop me from getting out of this place. I'd just pull until I finally worked them free. That would work. I could do that…

"Ugh, it's hopeless!" I cried out in frustration after several failed attempts to set myself free. It couldn't be done; it was impossible; I'd never get out of—

Just at that thought, something loud sounded from above, making the ceiling shake dirt onto me. I scowled and shook it from my hair as best I could. What were those Saber—ehem, I mean _Asstooth_ — bastards doing now? It sounded like thunder… but we were too far underground for that to be a possibility. Thundering footsteps? Maybe they were practicing their fighting drills. Ha! They weren't coordinated enough for me to believe they actually practiced that kind of thing. Well… Minerva's blind soldiers were pretty impressive, I had to grudgingly admit.

"Well, fuck," I said aloud. If they were actually putting effort into an upcoming fight… then there was a strong chance Fairy Tail may have some major losses. Unless, by some miracle, my delusional coven left me alone and let me rot and die in here. I genuinely wished they would be that cruel. It was mercy on my part—a mercy I had no way of granting to them. Maybe I could send a message on the tail of a rat.

"No. Probably not," I decided. Despite the obvious decay and overall disgustingness of this place, there were no rats to be found. That either meant this place was cleaner than was noticeable from down here, or they ate the rats. I hoped for the former because otherwise Asstooth had a whole new kind of gross about them if they resorted to rodent-eating.

I focused my ears and tried to hear what they were doing. I had my own army at home and thought it might ease the boredom if I could guess what drills this coven was practicing. It would be like a game. If I could guess correctly, I'd win.

I frowned. _Hmm. Sounds like running… There doesn't appear to be any structure to it. Psh. Minerva must be a shitty army commander. My coven doesn't run like that. This is embarrassing to listen to. Erza would skin these Sabertooth hides in a millisecond if she was their commander._

I thought I heard faint sounds of shouting but that could have been my imagination. Maybe they had drill sergeants yelling at them to stop running around like idiots?

 _Wait a minute…_

A single set of footsteps was getting closer to where I was.

I sighed dramatically so that whatever asshole was coming would hear the exasperation in my tone. Not that that would discourage anyone from coming in here, but it still gave me some satisfaction to think that I might be able to piss them off just a little.

I braced myself against the wall in anticipation for some sharp object to come flying at me and waited. Based on the seconds between each footfall, it would take about fifty steps for the person to reach me. I counted the steps in my head, scowl already set in place. I didn't care who it was; I may have been submissive to Minerva, but that didn't mean I was going to pretend I liked it.

 _Forty feet…_

 _Thirty feet…_

 _Fifteen…_

 _Ten…_

 _Five…_

 _Four…_

 _Three…_

 _Two…_

"One," I whispered aloud, just as a very familiar face ran into the hallway and slammed against the iron bars of my cell. His eyes were savage and his expression was caught somewhere between fury and terror.

I gasped as he shook the iron bars as if desperate to get in.

"Lucy!" he screamed at me. I was frozen in fear, unable to believe what I was seeing. This could not be happening. This wasn't real, it couldn't be! Not _him_ …

"No…" I croaked out as tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision. "Not you. Please, not you…"

* * *

 _Beta: Every1sBeta_


	43. Chapter 42: Natsu

**A/N: Shout-out to my good friend, MorriganFae for helping me out with editing this thing last minute! You're awesome!**

* * *

 **Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Forty-Two: Natsu**

The night air was chilly, even for me. I stood under a tree that was shaded from the full moon overhead, and I really hoped there weren't werewolves roaming about looking for a meal because I had just begun to accept that vampires existed and I didn't know how many more mythical creatures I could be afraid of at this point. It was bad enough that I was literally _bait_ for bloodsucking demons, but giant wolf-men that want nothing more than to rip me apart? Yeah, that just sounded messy, and Lucy would be mad if I got blood all over my nice clothes.

 _Because that really fucking matters at this point,_ I thought and rolled my eyes at my own idiocy.

"Okay, Natsu, time to smell delicious," I coached myself. How exactly did I go about that? I probably had some natural tantalizing aura around me, but if for some reason these Saber-vamps weren't attracted to me, what would I do? It was hard being this tempting, though, so I didn't have many doubts. Jelless and Lightning Bolt told me to just stand here and look like a snack, so I guessed I didn't have to try very hard.

"I am a tasty treat," I announced aloud, just in case anyone was uncertain. "I taste like…uh, deliciousness! Come and get some of this yum. Limited edition here. Get it while it's hot. Ha. Who am I kidding, I'm always hot!" I chuckled, then sighed. Now wasn't the time for fun and games; I needed to be serious. I wouldn't get Lucy back by making jokes to the trees.

I sighed again and paced about in front of my tree; the longer I waited, the more anxious I became. It was easy to feign bravado whilst in front of those two bastard-vamps, but it was a lot harder when you were actually outside, skirting the border of a coven that held you prisoner for three years. I tried not to think too much about that experience, though, because it would only make me panic. I'd been afraid enough during my life already, I didn't want to feel that way anymore. I needed to be strong—for _her._

"I really hope those fuckers don't 'accidentally' forget not to let me die," I muttered aloud. I wouldn't be surprised. Just because they'd _said_ they'd have my back and not let Sabers viciously tear out my insides (their exact, oddly descriptive and yet in no way comforting words), didn't mean they would hold onto that part of the deal. They could easily tell Lucy they'd done everything they could to save me but it had been useless.

 _Whoosh._

"What the—?" Something flashed through the trees but I couldn't make out what it was. Based on it's speed, it was undoubtedly a vampire coming to kill me. Or maybe I was just extra slow because of hunger? I didn't know, but whatever it was, it was flying by at insane speed. I could see it flashing through the trees surrounding me every other second.

 _It's playing with me_ , I realized after a minute. It was trying to scare me and make me feel trapped and powerless. Well, fuck you, Sabertooth. I wasn't going to let some bloodsucking demon turn me into something helpless again. I had hated feeling that way. Since meeting Lucy, I'd gained so much more confidence and courage, all the stuff Sabertooth had been sucked out of me, like venom out of a wound. I wasn't going to let my second chance at life go to waste.

I steeled myself for whatever was coming for me, because if those two fucktards weren't going to take this mission seriously to save Lucy, then I'd do it myself. I wasn't going to let myself be scared shitless; I should've known they never planned on helping me, they just wanted to get rid of the lowly human. Well, fuck them. I'd show them. I'd save Lucy myself.

I wasn't about to make it easy on them, whoever 'them' was. I stood my ground, balled my hands into fists, willing them to ignite. Whoever was coming for me was going to get a piece of Natsu the Fire—

"Ah!"

I slammed into the ground so hard I saw stars in my vision. The jolt knocked the air from my lungs and for a moment I couldn't think or move. When my vision cleared, I saw a small, dark-haired woman hovering over me, fangs bared and dripping with saliva, red-eyed gleaming.

 _Vampire._

I gulped and willed myself not to piss my pants at the sight. Sure, she _looked_ small and innocent, but I knew from experience that female vamps were the scariest ones. They were the ones with the power. The tiny woman reminded me of Lucy's friend, Levy: small but mighty. Levy was one of the good vamps, but this one was undoubtedly a Saber-vamp, and those almost never were.

 _I am totally fucked,_ I thought. _Think of something smart, quick!_

"So…" I began conversationally, hoping my voice didn't waver, "come here often? I hear the weather's real nice once the sun comes up."

The woman growled and hit me hard in the eye. I just managed not to cry out, but the look of pain contorting my face must have been obvious because the vamp grinned a sadistic smile at me. She reached out and trailed a finger along my jawline, down to that artery in my neck I knew all vamps craved. I swore I could _feel_ my blood pulsing in anticipation for the bite that was about to come. I knew it was coming; I'd seen that expression on plenty of vampire women in the past. Even Lucy occasionally would still get that look on her face when she looked at me, on days when she was particularly hungry. I knew she didn't drink as much blood as she probably needed since I'd come into her life, so I tried not to fault her for looking at me like I was something to eat.

Unlike Lucy, however, I knew this bite would fucking _hurt._

When I saw her eyes shift down to my neck and her face lowering, I tried to fight against her—no way in hell was I going to make this easy for her—but her long nails sunk into my neck and instantly paralyzed me. This was something I had little experience with, at least not for a while. I recalled the feeling from when I was first brought into Sabertooth, when I was still just a stupid, naïve kid that didn't know how to 'cheat the system' so to speak. I learned pretty early on that fighting back got you nothing except more pain, and I'd received enough of that already.

My whole body froze, even as my mind still spun rapidly and begged me to do something—anything!—except lie there helplessly and let this vampire devour me.

 _Why,_ I wondered as her teeth neared my neck, _had I trusted those two?_ Why was I stupid enough to put my life in the hands of demons? I'd had this desperate, all-consuming need to save the woman I loved, but now I never would. This plan was destined for failure from the beginning. There had never been any hope for its success.

The demon's fangs touched my neck and I knew this was the end for me. I would die and never know if Lucy had survived. Sharp points pressed into my neck…and then they were gone, just like that, leaving me disoriented. I was too confused to so much as blink until a hand reached down and yanked me roughly to my feet. I staggered there for a moment and tried to regain my footing; tried to remind my brain how to work properly. The world spun, making me dizzy. My vision was blurred so I couldn't make out who'd forced me to my feet. Was it friend or foe?

I got my answer when dark blue hair came into focus and a familiar face began to materialize. Jelly and Lightning Bolt stood before me. Jellar held his trademark arrogant smirk while Sparky held the female Saber-vamp in a headlock so tight her face was turning purple.

"Took you guys long enough," I huffed indignantly, shaking off Blue's arm. "Thought you bastards abandoned me here to die."

"We considered it," Jellal told me honestly, without hesitation. I opened my mouth to yell at him for even thinking about doing that, but honestly, I couldn't say I blamed the guy. Especially since he did just save my ass when he didn't have to. He could have gotten into Sabertooth without my help and saved Lucy. I wasn't a part of their coven so I wasn't a priority. I'd never admit that to them, but I understood why they thought about ditching me.

That didn't mean it didn't piss me off, however.

"Well, thanks…I guess," I said flatly before turning to Laxus. He held the other vamp by the throat so that her feet dangled several feet off the ground. Even as she flailed wildly in his grip, the action looked effortless, so much so that he actually looked _bored_ standing there, like he hardly even noticed the fuming vampire. She kicked and screamed and cursed him over and over, but he just held her like she was some pathetic fly he'd caught by the wing.

It was a little scary.

"Can we get this show on the road, or do you two need a moment to kiss and make up?" Sparky asked me snidely.

I scowled at the comment but nodded at him. I didn't know why they were waiting for my permission, though, when I wouldn't be _doing_ anything. Not at this point. Technically, now was the time I was supposed to run back to Fairy Tail's border. There was no way in Saber-hell that I was doing that, especially when the two of them hadn't ordered me to leave yet. If they did, I'd already decided to hide until I was sure they were coming out with Lucy.

"Good." Laxus squeezed the vamp's throat tighter—she made a gurgling sound in the back of her throat. Even though vampires didn't breathe, it must still hurt like hell to have someone crushing your windpipe. I didn't envy her. "Tell us what we want to know and we won't kill you slowly."

Her eyes widened. "The fuck-does that-mean?" she choked out, still flailing about.

"It means," Jello piped in helpfully, "that if you give us the information we seek, we'll make your death painless. If you do not…"

"We'll torture the living shit out of you until you do," Laxus finished with a slice of his nail across her face. She screamed in pain as blood dripped from her left cheek onto the ground below. I wrinkled my nose and wondered how these creatures could possibly enjoy something so disgusting.

"Let us not be wasteful, Laxus," Jell said. "We could take her home with us and use her for feedings."

"Hm." Laxus looked her up and down as if just considering this.

She spat at him, or tried to, but all she accomplished was getting saliva on her chin. "You… _fools_. You'll be sorry, mark my words!"

Laxus and Gerard exchanged amused glances and then snorted like this was the funniest thing they'd heard all day.

 _Seriously, how powerful is Fairy Tail if they aren't even remotely afraid of another vampire? A female one at that!_

"I'm sorry," Laxus began casually, "I couldn't hear you through your screaming!" At that last word, he cracked her neck to the side so that it hung limply from her shoulders. She screamed; I gagged. "Tell us how to get into Sabertooth coven," he demanded.

"Go to hell!" she shrieked in return. Her head still hung wrong, but her teeth were gritted and dripping.

 _Geez…did that even affect her?_

"You could do that thing," Jellar suggested as he casually plucked dirt from his dark blue shirt.

"Oh, _that thing_." Laxus gave the woman an evil, knowing smile.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" she asked haughtily.

Laxus' smile only grew wider. "It should. Do you recall the four Blood Knights?" I swore to the gods, her face paled. Laxus nodded. "That's going to happen to you if you don't start talking, you piece of shit. Tell us how to get inside or you'll see what the Blood Knights are truly made of."

"Well, half of us, anyway," the blue-haired one added.

I felt my blood turn cold. _Blood Knights? Half of them?! What the actual fuck?_

"You're lying!" she screamed.

Laxus glanced over his shoulder at his friend. "She doesn't seem to buy it. Think we should give her a demonstration?"

An arrogant smirk; a nod.

Before I had time to blink, they had the woman on her back as her screams pierced the air. Her chest and arms were covered in dark red liquid. I felt bile rise to the back of my throat and tried to choke it down. Maybe I should have listened and run for it…

" _Now_ do you believe us, bitch? _Now_ do you see?" Laxus snarled in her face.

I couldn't hide the tremble that forced its way up my body at the vampire's tone and animalistic expression. If he could cause that much damage to one of his own kind in the blink of an eye, what could he possibly do to me?

I hoped I'd never find out.

"You fuck!" She coughed up blood and spat it on the ground by her face. "You fuck!"

"Tell. Me. What. I. Need." Laxus told her in a low, threatening tone that had me quivering more than her.

It wasn't until that point that I noticed Jellal's hand was buried in the stomach of the female vamp. I saw him twist his wrist until the woman screamed again. Honestly, it was amazing no other vamps had come to her aid yet, but knowing Sabertooth, they didn't give a shit about each other.

At least, I hoped that were the case, because the other option was that they were all in hiding, waiting for a good time to strike us all dead.

I glanced around the trees, looking for any spying vampires. I didn't see any, but that didn't mean they weren't there.

"I…" she coughed, "can't tell you. Wait!" she cried when Jellal started to twist his wrist again. "I can't _tell_ you, but I can _show_ you! Please, stop torturing me! I know what the Blood Knights do, I've heard all the stories. Let me go!"

"Oh, we're killing you," Laxus told her without remorse. "It's just your choice how painful it's gonna be."

"We can do this all night," Jefar told her, sounding almost hopeful for the opportunity.

The woman must have read this in his expression, too, because her eyes widened. "I'll show you, I swear it! No more!"

 _Just what kind of stories are out there? Vampire boogiemen? And are these two really the sources of those stories? If so… who the hell are the other two?_

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Laxass chuckled without humor, then he and the other one stood up, dragging the bleeding vamp with them. "Show us to the entrance and then say your fucking prayers, 'cause you're headed straight to Zeref Land after this."

"I think that's called 'Hell' now, actually," Jiffy-pop offered.

"You know what, man, I think you may be right!" He chuckled again, then patted the female vamp on the back so hard she fell face first into the dirt. "Now, let's get going before I lose my patience. So far, I've been the dictionary definition of a sweetheart. "

She shuddered as she got to her feet. She held her still limp head between her hands and snapped it quickly to one side. It cracked loudly back into place. I audibly shuddered, causing all three vamps to turn my way.

 _Well, shit._

"You," Laxy-boy us pointed an accusing finger at me, "what are you still doing here? Ain't you supposed to be hiding like a good little pet?"

I glowered. "I'm no one's pet, and I don't want to hide like a coward." I stood my ground, refusing to be bossed around by this bastard.

 _Even if he was terrifying…_

His expression turned from scary to deadly. It was all I could do not to flinch away from it. "You get the fuck out of here before I make what happened to her look like a fucking slap on the wrist. You got that?"

I gulped. I had two choices here: I could obey Flex-ass and run back to Fairy Tail and _hope_ someone let me back inside, or I could challenge him until he killed me mercilessly.

 _Or you could follow through with your original plan…_

 _Right_. I wasn't totally without options here. I could still get my way without horrible death being part of the equation. Well…death was highly likely no matter what path I took, but I'd be damned if I didn't at least _try_ to get my Luce back.

I worked my expression into one of nonchalant indifference. "Whatever. I can't stand being around you idiots anyway." I turned my back on them and started back in the direction I'd come from.

They couldn't stop me from helping Lucy if they were already inside Sabertooth. I didn't need that vamp to get inside—I could find my own way. I wasn't as helpless as they thought I was. There was something they didn't even know—I recognized something in this place, somewhere I'd been once before, somewhere a blonde angel had rescued me months ago…

I hurried in the opposite direction cursing the two fucktards for not taking me seriously. Just because I wasn't a bloodsucking demon from hell, didn't mean I couldn't help save Lucy too.

 _Don't you remember getting your ass kicked by a woman not ten minutes ago? Remember how close you were to death?_

"Fuck," I grunted out. Softly, though. One bloodsucking demon was enough for one night.

I couldn't argue with that one. Even so, I didn't care. I wasn't going to be a coward. I _would_ do something to help—I didn't care who thought I should do otherwise.

I ran until I was sure the Fairy-assholes wouldn't be able to hear or smell me anymore, and then leaned against a tree to catch my breath. I was running on pure adrenaline at this point, but even that had its limits. I knew I was going to crash before the night was over—I couldn't keep going like this. If the vampires didn't kill me, I'd die from stress.

"Ugh." I groaned. I couldn't just sit there and do nothing while Luce might be out there getting tortured. I used my foot to push myself off the tree and began pacing—I seemed to be doing a lot of that recently. My hands balled into fists of their own volition and my feet stomped hard with each angry step I took, each footfall sounded out a name.

 _Lucy. Lucy. Lucy._

"Fuck." I kicked at a rock that dared get in my way.

"You shouldn't say words like that."

"Wha—?!" I spun around so fast I stumbled and fell onto right onto my ass. My eyes bugged. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?" I demanded, trying for indignity, which was hard when you're the one who startled in terror and fell on your ass. I picked at a couple blades of grass like that's what I desired to do all along.

She tried to put on a commanding air, but her trembling hands and terrified eyes betrayed her. Her expression was hard, like she was daring me to try and stop whatever stupid-ass plan she'd concocted.

She huffed indignantly—well, she _tried_ to be indignant, but she was too cute for that. "I'm not an idiot, you know. I knew you were trying to get rid of me last night. I _knew_ you were up to something."

 _Wendy…_

I sighed. "Look, you can't be around me, Wendy. Don't you get it? People want me dead."

She flinched. "I know, Natsu…" she murmured softly. She looked sad, then glowered at me and smacked me in the side of the arm. I think it was supposed to be playful, but it actually hurt like hell. Not like I'd tell _her_ that, though… "Which is why you should have stayed inside, you idiot!"

I actually chuckled, despite everything. "Yeah, you're right, Wends. But I promised I'd save Lucy, so that's what I have to do."

"I know what you're doing," she told me haughtily, "and you're taking me with you."

I blanched at that. "No way in hell, kid. No. Way. In. _Hell._ Never. Lucy would kill me if I let you do something like this."

She stood on her toes, hands at her sides, trying to appear taller. She looked more like a fledgling bird about to take flight than a terrifying bloodsucker in that stance, though. It was…cute.

I tried not to laugh or smile.

"I'm coming," she insisted.

"You're staying," I replied.

"You can't make me stay, Natsu!" she cried, small hands balled into fists. "I can help! If you or Lucy are injured, I can help!"

"Wendy—"

"And if you try to make me stay, I'll knock you out and go by myself." She folded her arms across her chest and gave me a triumphant smile. "You know I can. Do you want me to go all by myself? What would Lucy say if you let _that_ happen?"

 _You conniving little brat…_

I groaned, knowing she'd won but not wanting to admit it. I turned around without another word and started back in the direction I'd come half an hour earlier. I knew she was right: I couldn't let her just go off on some rescue mission on her own. Lucy would be furious that she was with me at all, but it was the only option I had right now.

 _This kid…she'll be the death of me._

* * *

 **nkukurichan** , Hey there! Thank you for giving this story a chance! I always appreciate new readers. I hope you continue to like it to the end!

As for your question: no, they aren't technically "frozen". Their blood is different than that of humans, but their organs aren't frozen.


	44. Chapter 43: Lucy

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Forty-Three: Lucy**

"No…not you," I begged, squeezing my eyes shut against the face that stood on the other side of the cell door, praying to Mavis that my eyes were deceiving me. It couldn't be him, it wasn't possible! I never thought I'd see him again, not here. "You shouldn't be here," I said, my voice weak now.

He heaved a familiar sigh, the kind that was laced with disappointment. "Oh Lucy, you really are naïve, aren't you?"

I gritted my teeth against the urge to spit in his face. "I hate you," I hissed.

"I have come to save you and you're sitting there being ungrateful."

I scoffed, opened my eyes and gave my father an incredulous look. "I don't want your help, _Dad._ You made my life a living hell—you made _Mom's_ life hell!"

He winced and actually had the decency to look guilty. "I know, Lucy. I wasn't a good father to you, or a good husband to your mother; I wasn't a good man, but I've changed. I'm not the same person I once was."

I laughed without humor. "Do you really expect me to believe that you've made this sudden 'change' when you just waltzed in here and spoke to me like that? Like you always have ever since I can remember? Like I'm inferior to you…"

He cringed at my words. "I'm still learning, Lucy. I'm not perfect, but I've been trying to be someone better—for you. I want to be a part of your life again. I don't want my daughter to grow up without a father. I want to see you fall in love and get married and have children of your own. I want to be a part of the next generation of Heartfilia's."

I glared. "I don't believe you." His face turned surprised. "You've used almost the same line my entire life. I've heard the spiel before. I can no longer believe your stories."

His face fell. "I can understand that. I don't blame you for feeling that way when all I've done is hurt you again and again, but I promise you, my daughter, that I will do _everything_ in my power to make it up to you. Anything you want, name it. I'll do anything." His eyes pleaded with me to accept this offering of trust, to allow myself to fall back into a relationship full of emotional abuse and lies.

"Oh, I get it. You just want me to let you back into Fairy Tail, is that it?" Anger filled me when I realized this had to be the reason for his sudden change of heart. "This isn't about me at all, this is all about _you_ , just like it's always been."

His surprised expression was pretty believable, I had to admit, but my father was an expert at deception so I wasn't falling for it this time. "Lucy, no. I just want to be your father again. I want—"

"I'm in love with a human," I blurted out. To his credit, his expression didn't turn disgusted as I'd expected. He looked shocked, but he quickly managed to compose his face into one of indifference.

He cleared his throat and spoke slow and clear. "I understand. As long as you're happy…I don't care who you're with." His gaze met mine and I swore it looked sincere. I wanted to believe him—I wanted his words to be true—but his past actions left me with no choice but to not trust him.

"He took my virginity," I added, just to see how he would react.

He winced. "That…I'm happy for you, honestly. But Lucy, you know you can't bear children with a human, don't you?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm aware, Jude. Nobody said anything about kids. I'm only nineteen, you know. I still have time before I need to even think about that."

"Are you…planning to change this human pet into a vampire?" he asked. He was trying hard to hold my gaze, even though his eyes kept flicking away before he remembered to switch back to mine. "And carry on the Heartfilia name?"

I gave him an incredulous look. "Really? Is that all you care about? Carrying on our family name? You haven't changed one bit, have you?"

His widened. "No, no. I didn't mean it like that… I just really want to meet my grandchildren one day… If you turned this boy into a vampire…you could be together forever."

"Don't you think I know that?" I snapped. "Does it fucking look like I can do _anything_ about that right now?" I would have gestured around the room if my hands hadn't been bound to the wall. Something occurred to me just then that I probably should have realized the moment I saw his face. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Wait…how are you here right now? The last time I saw you, Minerva had you by the throat, trying to scare us all into compliance. Then here you are, free as a damn bird, standing in front of me like you strolled down here for fun."

He finally broke eye contact with me, but I still caught the guilty expression on his face. "It's…complicated," he said quietly. "Minerva has been holding me prisoner for a while, too, but…I convinced her to let me go."

I arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "You just asked the bitch Queen to let you go free and she allowed it?"

He still wouldn't meet my eyes. "Not exactly," he admitted. "It took a long time to get her to trust me. Even now…I know she doesn't fully trust me. I'm not _free_ , Lucy, I'm just…"

"A liar?" I supplied.

He finally met my eyes again—his were filled with tears. "No, Lucy. Don't worry about how I got here, now isn't the time for questions. Let me get you out and then I promise I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"What if this is a trap?" I accused. "What if you're taking me to Minerva right now, or someone worse? Are you taking me to my death, _Father_?" I spat the last word like it was something dirty.

"I would _never_ do that to you…never…" He closed his eyes for a moment and when he reopened them they were filled with determination. I waited to see what he would do or say next, waiting for my opportunity to strike.

His eyes shifted down to the lock on the door. He grabbed hold of it and yanked it off like it was a piece of plastic and tossed it behind him. He pulled open the door and stepped inside. I cringed away from him, not wanting him anywhere near me. I'd been the subject of his abuse for the better part of my life. I didn't have many good memories of my father.

"Lucy." He held his hands out like he was approaching a wild animal. "It's okay, baby, I'm going to get you out of here; I'm going to set you free." Quieter he added, "If it's the last thing I do…"

I wasn't sure what that meant, but suddenly he was forcing the shackles the bound my wrists and ankles to break free. The skin there was raw and swollen. Even being a vampire, having rusty metal chains around your bare skin hurt like hell. However, thinking about that reminded me of Natsu and how he'd been in chains like these for three _years._ I was a wimp in comparison. I was a vampire Queen, what the hell was I complaining about?

"Can you stand?" he asked gently, pulling me out of my thoughts. He looked like he might try to help me up but my glare made him rethink the offer. "We should get going," he said instead.

I nodded and carefully got to my feet. My legs were numb and sore from being stuck in the same position for days and gave out the moment I tried to put any weight on them. Jude caught me before I could hit the ground, even though I growled at him.

"Don't be stubborn, Luce," he gently chided.

"Do _not_ call me that," I snarled. "You don't get to call me that; that was what Mom called me." _And now Natsu calls me that._

He nodded but kept a firm hold around my waist. "You're right. I don't have the right to call you by your mother's special name. But let me help you, Lucy. Just until your legs can work again."

I thought about that for a moment. I knew I was probably just being stubborn, but the thought of Jude—my father—carrying me like some helpless child, was just too much to bear. I'd almost rather stay in this cell and rot.

Almost.

"Whatever," I grumbled in agreement.

He started walking, half dragging me along beside him as I refused to be carried. One arm around me was enough; I didn't even want to be this close to him.

I suddenly stiffened when a sound caught my ears.

"What was that?" I whispered and came to a stop.

"What was what?" he asked as if confused. I glared up at him in accusation. He really had tricked me. This was it, wasn't it? This was the trap! Whoever was with him was about to surprise attack me. Well, I wasn't about to let that happen. I wasn't the stupid child I used to be. I could fight for myself now.

I was seconds away from ripping his head right off his shoulders, when I recognized the voices running down the hallway. All the fight went out of me at once.

"Oh no." I sagged with both relief and exasperation. What was wrong with people today?

Surprise lit their faces when they rounded the corner, then huge grins lit their eyes and they tore down the hallway and threw their arms around me. I stumbled and nearly fell over, but their joined embrace didn't let that happen.

"I wish you wouldn't have come, Natsu," I told him softly without letting either of them go. "I did this for you, you know."

Even though I couldn't see his face, I swore I could _feel_ him rolling his eyes.

"Luce, you had to have known I never would have run away like that. I know we haven't known each other for long, but we _know_ each other, in ways more intimate than anyone else ever could."

I blushed scarlet. "N-Natsu!" Did he really just say that out loud? I glanced down at Wendy, totally embarrassed. She looked confused.

"What? What did I say?" Natsu asked, also confused.

"Oh, so this is the human boy who deflowered my daughter," my father spoke up for the first time. I actually managed to forget his unwelcome presence for a whole two minutes.

I scowled.

"Daughter?" Natsu pulled out of the embrace and glanced between me and my father's unhappy expression. "S-Sorry about that, sir! I was just—I mean I—"

"Shut up, Natsu," I snapped, then turned back to Jude. "You don't get to do this, okay? This is _my_ life. I love him, and I'll whatever the hell I want with him. Got it?"

He swallowed back any further comments and nodded. "Yes. You're right. I'm sorry, I just got carried away."

"You knew I wouldn't have run away, Luce," Natsu continued like nothing weird had just happened. "You knew I would come for you."

"I hoped you wouldn't…" I whispered. His expression told me he knew that, too. He was there when I traded my life for his—he knew how much I wanted to save him—yet, he still came for me.

"I love you…" he breathed into my ear. "Of course I came for you."

"Uh…guys?" Wendy interrupted uncomfortably, "don't you think we should do this another time?"

I pulled out of the hug and cleared my throat. "Right, we need to get out of here—fast." They nodded in agreement, each looking equally determined. My father…I ignored him. "Natsu, is it just you and Wendy? Did anyone else come with you?"

Natsu scratched the back of his head and frowned. "Yeah, it's just—oh! Sparky and Jury are here too. Somewhere."

That was a surprise. "Laxus and Jellal? Those two came with you? Out of all the people in my coven _those_ are the two you chose to aid you?" Was he suicidal or something? He obviously had no idea of their reputation as the ' _Blood Knights_ ' or he wouldn't have gone near them.

Jude snorted. "And they didn't shed your skin and use your bleeding corpse for bait?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, ignoring Jude's graphic question. "It was all Laxus' plan from the beginning to save you. It was also his dumbass idea to bring Jello—"

" _Jellal,_ " Wendy corrected.

"Whatever!" He waved off the pronunciation. "Anyway, those two fucktards thought it would be a good idea to use me as Saber-bait—"

" _Bait?!_ " I shrieked in horror.

"So I was partially right…" Jude added quietly as if to himself.

"—and then ditch me as soon as they tortured a vamp into showing them the way inside!"

"Torture?" Wendy shuddered.

" _Bait?_ " I repeated more forcefully.

"Huh? Yeah! I had to stand on Sabertooth's border and act like a tasty snack!"

The way he said this, sounded almost like pride, like he'd been all too willing to do so. For all I knew, he had been.

"Where are they now?" I asked, deciding to leave it be for now—there were more important things to do at the moment.

"I told you, they ditched me," Natsu repeated. "They made me leave—told me to go back to the coven and stay there—and then I ran into Wendy."

"And then…?" I prompted, sensing more.

Now he looked guilty. I waited expectantly for him to fill me in, but it was Wendy who spoke up.

"Now isn't the time," she declared.

"She's right," Jude agreed.

I glowered and ignored him. I had to come up with a way to ditch his ass before we got out of here or—

" _Natsuuuu!_ " Wendy screamed just as I was thrown across the room into a wall. I hit the ground hard and winced.

 _What the hell?_

I pushed to my feet, fists clenched and ready to strike Jude who had obviously been the culprit here, but when I looked up my mouth fell open and my eyes widened.

 _No… This can't be happening._

Wendy was shaking with either fear or rage, I couldn't tell with her back to me. Natsu was completely frozen—in the center of an army of vampires.

"NO!" I cried. I flashed toward him, only to be smacked back into the wall. Jude lay there completely disoriented.

"Foolish girl," one of them said. He was one of the sightless men I'd fought the other day—the one I'd staked in the heart with my shoe. I gasped. He laughed without humor. "Did you really think you could kill someone with a _shoe_? Are you really so naïve?"

I was too shocked to do anything. I _had_ been that stupid. He'd fallen dead—I'd seen it with my own two eyes! It wasn't like I went around staking vampires with the heels on my feet often, but I had used that trick at least a handful of times and I'd _always_ thought it worked! Had I been wrong this whole time? That…wasn't possible.

"You really are a child," he sneered at me. "Do you not know how to _kill_ a fellow vampire? Perhaps I should give you a lesson…"

From within his shirt pocket, he pulled out a wooden stake, perfectly pointed at the end and gleaming with some kind of gloss. He flipped it into the air and caught it again with ease, despite being blind. The triumphant sneer on his face was enough to make even me cringe, but I decided to call bullshit.

"You can't kill me with that," I declared haughtily. "I'm still a Queen, you know. It takes more than a laminated stake to kill us."

He laughed maniacally. "Who said I was going to kill _you?_ "

My grin fell at once when I caught sight of his target. Her eyes met mine—they were filled with fear.

My eyes widened as everything fell into slow motion. I saw it all happen with perfect clarity—Wendy's tear-filled eyes; Natsu's mouth forming a silent ' _nooo_ ' as he struggled against the arms that held him; the blind vampire's arm pulling back and sending the stake right in Wendy's direction.

" _WENDY_!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, admittedly, that was a pretty cruel cliffhanger. Sorry, guys! I genuinely would have made this chapter longer, but I don't think I'll have time to get it done today if I do. So...cliffhanger. I know, you all want to murder me now, but just hang in there! Shouldn't be too many cliffhangers again until the end. I will try not to add any more. TRY. Cross my heart! XD

 **MnMAllyn** , Not necessarily, no! But the majority of the Exceptionals are, indeed, Dragon Slayers.

 **Terra of Life** , Thank you for noticing! I had a lot of fun coming up with silly names for Jellal!

 **gingershipper** , Wow! Impressive! Not too many of my readers can commit to reading so many chapters in one night. You must really like the story; I'm glad! Thank you so much for your support! Also... nice guess ;-)

 **Firewithin - 2** , Uh... I don't know, lol. Sorry. I don't have any chapters backed up anymore, so I can't really say how many it will be. I was thinking 50, but I think it will be more than that now. Probably between 60 and 70 for the whole fic.


	45. AUTHOR'S NOTEANNOUNCEMENT

**[AUTHOR'S NOTE: NOT A CHAPTER]**

Hey, guys! So, I know I said I'd be back to weekly posting after the first of the year, and I've been trying really hard to keep up with the demands, but the thing is that I just don't have the time right now to post every single week. I'm still going to TRY t do that as much as I can because I really want to commit to a set schedule, but there's a lot of stuff going on in my life right now and I don't always have time to write as much as I want to. I was going to try to bust this chapter out for you guys today, but it would just be rushed and wouldn't be very good. I want to give myself a little more time so I can get you a chapter that's actually good. I hope you understand!

Don't worry, TOF is **NOT** finished and I'm **NOT** abandoning it or going on a hiatus or even taking time off. I just might need more time for this arc or whatever because it's going to be a really strategic one and will be more difficult than past chapters to write. And like I said, I have a lot of stuff going on, but I'll honestly try to keep up as best as I can.

Thank you to all of you who have supported me throughout the journey that is Twist of Fate, and a special thank you to those of you who support me as a person and a writer, and those who read everything I put out because of that. I recognize familiar names! I love all of you, those who have been with me through it all, and those who come in later. This story especially has really brought a lot of newcomers and gained a lot of popularity, way more than I ever thought possible.

So. Because of all of you and how amazing you are with your support, I have a special announcement to make. A few months ago, I was really thinking about the ending I'd had planned for Twist of Fate. I had written out the whole outline for the story with basic plot points, so I knew exactly how it was going to start and how I wanted to end it. But then I started seeing all of the love and support you guys have for this story and I thought "maybe I can do more"? So I rethought the entire ending for the story to support a sequel. So after Twist of Fate is wrapped up, I'll start posting a sequel. I have a **VERY** rough outline for that one right now is all, so it's still in its skeletal stage, but I think you guys will really like this one just as much as you like TOF! I'm still not sure exactly how many chapters TOF will be—I didn't think it would even be this long—but it's definitely nearing the end. I wanted you guys to have something to look forward to! Don't worry, Twist of Fate isn't over for us yet!

Let me know what you guys think of this news and I'll do my best to have you a new chapter up next Monday! Let the battles begin!

 _Stele_


	46. Chapter 44: Natsu

**Twist of Fate**

 **Chapter Forty-Four: Natsu**

"NO!" I screamed.

" _WENDY_!" Lucy cried as the stake flew out toward the child. I watched in horror, it seemed to be moving toward her chest in slow motion. Wendy's gaze darted from Lucy's to mine—eyes wide with sheer terror. She knew what was about to happen. I struggled against the arms that held me in a vice grip, but these were strong vampire males. Even knowing it was a futile effort, I couldn't just stand there! I couldn't let that little girl get killed, I couldn't—

A blurry figure flashed between Wendy and the stake just as it was about to hit her. The vampire-shield caught the stake, then fell onto his back so hard the impact made a cloud of dust waft up around us, momentarily blinding us from whoever had just saved the little vampire.

Everyone froze for a moment, the only sound was that of my racing heart, which—seeing as it was the only beating heart around—was probably audible to everyone in the vicinity. I held my breath and waited for the dust to clear.

Lucy was the first to break the silence, a gasp of horror and surprise tumbling from her ruby lips. "No… Why now?" Her voice broke. "It's my fault…it's all my fault…"

I didn't know what she meant by that, and it took me a moment to recognize the man that lay flat on his back, skin a grayish pallor. I didn't know much about vampires, but I had a bad feeling that gray was probably not the color of the living dead. More like, dead-dead.

My eyes shifted to Lucy, who looked like she was going to either cry or scream—fists clenched at her sides, body shaking with barely controlled rage, teeth gnashing together to keep any sounds from escaping. I followed her gaze to where a man stood. He looked familiar…

 _Ooh._

He was one of the commandos Minerva had blinded by literally taking their eyes out. Her idea was that if they didn't have their sight they wouldn't be affected by another Queen's compulsion. She wanted them to rely more heavily on their other senses. However, Lucy was no amateur. She had bested them almost easily. Well, until they came after me.

A small hand gently rested on my arm. I looked down into big, innocent brown eyes. Lucy had taught me that a vampire could be beautiful and merciful and kind, but Wendy…Wendy taught me that vampires could be sweet and innocent and all things good. Race didn't matter if you were a genuine person; race didn't matter if you were nothing but a _child_ —the epitome of innocence.

 _This guy doesn't see that. He tried to kill her—an innocent child._

 _Now, I was going to kill him._

I didn't care that he had an entire army with him—however dazed and confused they momentarily seemed—I would get revenge for anyone trying to hurt Wendy, and in the process…

My eyes glanced over at Lucy once more, then down at her dead father.

 _And in the process, you hurt my lover._

" _AHH!_ " My cry echoed in my own ears, far louder yet more ragged than I thought my voice could reach. I pulled the flames into my palms by force. My hands were hot; the flames danced between my fingertips with ease, friendly fire that soothed my soul and flickered up at me almost playfully…like they'd been inside of me for my entire life.

The army of vampires backed away, but they didn't run like I'd been hoping for. No matter. It was more fun if they stayed.

"You're all going to pay for that," I snarled through gritted teeth, willing the flames to burn hotter and taller. "What kind of sick fuck tries to kill a little girl?"

"What kind of idiot tries to defend a little vampire half-breed against an army of Sabertooth's best?" Asked the one who'd thrown the stake, the leader, perhaps—the head asshat.

"A tasty one?" A new voice offered. I glanced over to see Jellal smirking with his hands folded across his chest. I mirrored his expression.

"Hey, Jelly Bean~!" I waved dramatically so he could see me through all the heads between us. He arched an eyebrow in my direction. About half of the gathered Sabers gave me incredulous looks, the other half were still staring dumbfounded at the newcomers.

"Ha! Ha! Jelly Bean!" Laxus chortled. "That's a good one! Maybe I'll start calling you that, too." Jellal shrugged, seemingly unconcerned at the insult. In fact, neither of them seemed the least bit concerned that they were surrounded. Were they stupid?

"Get 'em!" Someone in the back of the group shouted.

"Guess the party's over," Laxus cracked his knuckles. He looked…excited? His eyes sparkled with hellish joy. Hey, I could get down with that.

"Nah, the party's just getting starting!" I squeezed my hands into fists and felt the fire start to warm them up. I grinned wide when orange flames began to form. "This is for Wendy!" I made a ball between my two fists and threw it at the guy closest to me. He didn't exactly erupt into a bonfire like I'd hoped, but it was enough of a distraction that the others in our group were able to jump in and take action.

Laxus and Jellal moved so fast, they were almost a blur. They started ripping hearts out— _literally_. I watched their hands disappear into the chests of the enemies coming at them again and again.

 _We're going to win this._

Well, I focused on Laxass and Jelly Belly decimating the Saber vamps in one instant, then suddenly, I was lying flat on my back and choking in the air that had been forced from my lungs.

 _Well, fuck._

Someone sneered over me—one of the sightless men. His eyes didn't quite land on mine, but that didn't seem to matter much. His gleaming white fangs could still find my artery in a heartbeat.

 _Heartbeat! Haha, very funny, Natsu!_ At least I would die the way I had lived. Totally fucking awesome.

I ignored the irony and instead turned fear into anger. I could see the arrogance written clearly on this guy's face, but he didn't know I had a pile of pain to erase that smug look off his face.

My hands lifted up to his face and I roared. I let my rage, my anger, my fear, my frustration, even my love for Lucy fuel the fire within me. Maybe that was the trick—channel all my white-hot tension into fire and burn everything in sight.

And it worked…for the most part. Fire ignited my palms, burning the vampire whose teeth neared my neck, but like before, it wasn't enough to burn him alive. He gave a roar of surprise and pain, breaking away from me, clutching at his face with both hands so that I was able to scramble to my feet and take up a somewhat defensive stance in front of Wendy.

Like the others from Fairy Tail, Wendy held an expression of determination mixed with a hint of confidence. She thought we would win. She had no doubts about that.

 _I hope you're right, kid._

I nodded at her expression and moved to the side so she could better see the fighting as it went on. Lucy glanced back at us and winked before turning back and flashing forward straight into the middle of the battle.

"Lucy…" I whispered, my heart dropping inside my chest. _If anything happened to her now…_ I bit off the thought.

"She'll be fine, Natsu." Wendy said serenely, smiling up at me. I nodded and tried to match her determination. If this little girl wasn't afraid than I had to be brave, too. I brought up a fist between us and smirked when a flame appeared almost instantly. I winked. She quirked up a grin.

I threw the ball of flame at the first fucker that dared come near us, hitting him right in the face. This time, the flame had more impact then previous attempts. The vamp's whole head caught fire so fast his graying black hair burned to ash in a matter of seconds.

"You fuck!" he screamed at me as he attempted to pat out the fire. But I wasn't done with him yet. I used the distraction to drive a polished wooden stake right through his heart. He roared as the shock and pain hit him and then his whole body turned gray. His corpse dropped unceremoniously onto the ground. Unfortunately, my triumph was short lived because as soon as I glanced back up three more of those fuckers were coming at me at insane speed. I didn't even have time to react, because I was being shoved backwards as someone stepped in front me just as the three Sabers were about to attack me.

Blue hair was all I could see flashing around me, single-handedly taking on the three assholes— _in my defense_.

 _What the actual fuck?_

I could do nothing but stare for a moment. That blue-haired freak was _defending_ me? Shouldn't he be trying to keep his Queen safe instead? Maybe I wasn't as insignificant as I thought I was to them?

I caught sight of Wendy to the right of me, trying to fight off two vamps on her own. She looked like she was doing okay, but it was obvious that she couldn't get on the offense. I couldn't let them pick on her; I had to do something.

Leaving Jellal to deal with the other three, I raced toward where Wendy was and lit my fists as hot as I could make them and then slammed a fireball into one of the men's face. He howled but kept advancing on Wendy, ignoring me altogether. Afterall, I was nothing more than an insignificant fly, right? Small damage from a tiny (but still fucking delicious) human.

Wrong.

I slammed my hands together and then pulled them apart with my fingers curved inward to form a ball of fire. I threw the ball at the man and watched him go up in flames in seconds. With a loud battle cry, I went after the other guy who tried to take advantage of Wendy. Together, we had him lying dead in half a minute, stake to the chest.

"Where," she huffed out, "did you get _that_?" She gestured with her chin toward the stake I held. "And how did you learn how to use it?"

"Oh, uh…" I scratched my head, feeling the pang of discomfort you feel when you know you're about to lie to someone. Fortunately—or perhaps not—I didn't get the chance to explain because we were being attacked once more, this time by four Saber's. These men, unlike the others we'd encountered so far, had their eyes and could move much easier. The others had been fast and deadly, but these guys were something else entirely. The sightless men worked great against Queen's, but not so much against anyone else. These ones, however…

Wendy and I were thrown across the room before we could so much as blink. Since she had vampire reflexes, Wendy was able to catch herself before smacking into the wall, but I had no such luck. I slammed face-first into the stone wall and slid down to hit the floor. Two vamps were on me in seconds, grabbing at me from both sides. I couldn't light my hands on fire; I couldn't pull out my stake; I couldn't fight against them. I was helpless.

"You fucking idiot," a familiar voice snapped at me, yanking me backwards and then shoving me none-too-gently into the ground. I scowled when I saw Laxass's stupid yellow hair whipping around as he easily took down the other two vamps. He turned an incredulous look my way. "Just couldn't stay away, could ya? You got a death wish or somethin'?"

I gritted my teeth together, almost spitting the words out, "I came to save Lucy."

"Well, you're doing a fine job," he replied with dramatic sarcasm.

I clenched my hands into fists, a snarl tearing from my throat at his implied insult. _What the fuck did he know? He left me for vamp-bait and was going to just let them kill me._ Obviously, he was blaming me for Lucy's kidnapping. Then again, maybe that was fair. It probably _was_ all my fault. It was me that Minerva wanted. Maybe…if I turned myself in, they'd let Lucy and her coven go? This had gone on long enough; it was time I did something to make it stop.

"Don't even think about it, boy."

I gaped and blinked in surprise to see Levy standing beside me like she'd been there the entire time. Her expression was just as scary as when I'd first met her, making me want to cringe away from it. But it wasn't the mini-tornado of a woman that was truly frightening. What really had me sweating bullets was the beast of a man at her side, the man that looked ten-times her size and a hundred times as scary. He was an ugly motherfucker with long black hair and metal studs everywhere. He sneered at me.

"I know what you're thinking," Levy shouted at me, ignoring the chaos that was going on in the background. She had hands on her hips and a disapproving expression. "If you even _think_ about sacrificing yourself for Lucy's sake, I will rip your heart out faster than these morons ever could.. Do you understand?"

I gulped and nodded. Was I seriously being lectured by a five-foot-tall woman who probably wanted to _eat_ me? I couldn't understand why any of the vampires from this coven gave a shit about whether or not I survived. Surely, it wasn't just the fact that their Queen had taken a liking to me? Could it really be that simple? And if so, was it because they truly cared about Lucy's happiness or did it have something to do with their submission to her? Maybe it was a compulsion thing?

"Oh, Gajeel!" Levy chided, watching the bulking man taking down the sightless men with seemingly no effort. "You could at least pretend to have a hard time. You don't want them thinking they don't have a chance."

The oaf looked back with a sadistic smile. "You're right, shrimp. It's no fun if they ain't got no time to be scared before I rip their throats out."

"That's not what I meant!" she shrieked, but he was already back in the fray, grabbing two vamps by the throat and making a dramatic show of letting them dangle a foot off the ground before simultaneously squeezing them both so hard their heads cracked and lolled to the side.

"Fuck," I hissed, trying to choke down the bile that had risen into my throat.

"He's an animal," Levy preened smugly. I had a feeling she was talking about in more ways than just out on the killing field and the visual _that_ brought up made me want to wretch. "Are they dead?" I asked when he threw them unceremoniously to the side.

She snorted. "Hardly. It takes a lot more than a broken neck to kill one of us."

That was the thing about vamps. They never just told you what you wanted to hear.

Fuckers.

"ENOUGH!"

A voice rang out in the room, causing everyone to pause either in shock or submission. The Sabertooth Queen in all her flaming glory strolled in, her red-ringed irises blazing with anger, one hand clutching a polished wooden stake like the one still in my back pocket. In her other hand, she held a fucking _leather whip._

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

I didn't even want to _know_ why Queen of the AssVamps was carrying around that thing. Unfortunately for me, her eyes landed on mine right away, like she had some kind of sixth sense that allowed her to pick me out in a crowd.

 _Or maybe it was the pink hair. Or my heartbeat. Or my general fucking awesomeness. Hard to pinpoint it, really._

I gritted my teeth to hold back a growl and crouched into a battle stance. I could see it in her eyes— _shit was about to go down._ Someone was going to die today: Minerva or me—us or them. This was the end.

A blonde head stepped in front of me, blocking my line of sight. I blinked in surprise as Lucy turned her face just enough for me to see her expression. I couldn't quite interpret it, but I could see sadness mixed with determination in it.

"Don't, Natsu," she whispered. "We'll take care of her. Fairy Tail will win this fight."

* * *

 **A/N** : Hey guys! I wanted to thank you all for the support and understanding last week. I've been trying really hard to keep up with chapters but I just couldn't do it last week, and you were all so awesome! Thank you for that! I had a thirty-something chapter lead when I started posting, but things have just been crazy lately. I really, truly appreciate all your encouragements. It means a lot! It makes me want to keep writing for you guys; it makes me super excited for you all to see this sequel. I really hope you stick around for that!

 _ALSO_! One of my super good friends, _MorriganFae_ , has a Nalu fic on her channel called " _Request Board Romance_ " that she just started posting three weeks ago. I've been helping her out a bit with editing—so I get advanced chapters—and I have to say, it's really something special. I think you guys will really love it like I do. So if you wouldn't mind, go check her out!

 **Terra of Life** , Hey, if you want bonus stories, I'm sure I can supply ;-)

 **MnMAllyn** , The Exceptionals are 90% Dragon Slayer, 10% random. TYPICALLY, a Dragon Slayer in the canon would be an Exceptional in TOF, but a few others who aren't are as well, it just depends, mostly, on their role in FT canon. If they were a particularly powerful character and/or had some sort of interesting power, I'll utilize that. But for the most part it's particular to Dragon Slayers.


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